Woodford pushes for £67bn GlaxoSmithKline break-up - reports

Manager holds company in Equity Income fund

Neil Woodford is understood to have raised the issue of a break-up of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with the company's chairman, after increasing his allocation to the pharmaceutical giant last month.

According to Sky News, Woodford's company Woodford Investment Management wants GSK to formally explore the separation of its HIV business ViiV, its consumer healthcare division and Stiefal, its dermatology division, from its core medicines and vaccines arm. Woodford (pictured), one of the City's most prominent backers of the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, is understood to have held private talks about the issue with Philip Hampton, GSK's chairman. The call comes as investors have expressed their dissatisfaction with GSK's poor share price performance, with the stock down around 3...