SHARES in drug maker GlaxoSmithKline rose yesterday after a rival announced that sales of its bird flu drug had more than doubled.

Swiss firm Roche said sales of Tamiflu, which is seen as the best treatment for bird flu, soared to £122m in its third quarter. A number of countries, including the UK, have been stockpiling the anti-viral drug ahead of a possible pandemic.

The increased Tamiflu sales helped Roche to report a 17 per cent rise in group revenues in the three months to the end of September.