Allergy Therapeutics lost 5¾p to 34p as it said its late stage clinical trial of a hayfever vaccine Pollinex Quattro, put on hold by the US regulator in July after a patient suffered an adverse reaction, was still being reviewed.

It said that although it could find no cause for the reaction, the Food and Drug Administration was conducting a wholesale review of vaccine additives and could not say when it would be completed.

Flomerics, a supplier of simulation software, jumped 8½p to 62p on bid speculation after it revealed that Mentor Graphics, an American computer-aided design group, had bought a 20 per cent stake.

Shore Capital lost 2½p to 35½p after announcing a 29 per cent fall in profit and a dividend cut and writedowns of its holdings in Dawnay Shore Hotels and its German real estate fund Puma Brandenburg.

Clarkson, the shipbroker, lost 44½p to 795p as it gave warning of a potential $71 million (£35.4 million) lawsuit from a Russian company over a valuation it did four years ago.

Archipelago Resources jumped 5½p to 32p after receiving permission from the Government of Indonesia to restart delayed work at its Toka Tin-dung gold project. It said the soaring price of gold since the delay should mean it will minimise the need to go to shareholders for extra funding.

Premier Research, the pharmaceutical services group, rose 16p to 88p after it said it was in advanced stages of agreeing a 100p a share takeover offer.

Aminex rose 2½p to 23¾p on striking gas offshore Tanzania.

Sovereign Oils, the Aberdeen-based oil field service group, rose 2½p to 45½p on a series of contract wins.

Accident Exchange, the provider of insurance replacement cars, lost 8¼p to 39½p after it said margins were under pressure from competitors in spite of the fact that rental activity had increased.

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