GSK dismisses near-term split as new drugs offset falling Advair

London

GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK) said on Wednesday the chance of it spinning off or selling its consumer health business before 2018 was "extraordinarily low", arguing the group's strategy was delivering, helped by rising sales of new medicines.

Growing demand for recently launched HIV and respiratory drugs helped Britain's biggest drugmaker beat forecasts for fourth-quarter earnings by a small margin, lifting the shares in a sharply lower market.