Shareholders threatened by animal rights group

IRISH shareholders of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), who received a letter from an animal rights group demanding they sell their shares, have been advised to report the matter to the gardaí.

A statement issued yesterday by the pharmaceutical company also advised shareholders not to respond to the Campaign Against Huntingdon Life Sciences (CAHLS) letter or access the email address provided.

The animal rights’ group is targeting GSK because of the company’s involvement with Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a British contract animal-testing company. HLS is the largest such commercial operation in Europe, conducting tests on around 75,000 animals every year, mainly rodents but also fish, birds, rabbits, sheep, cows, pigs and dogs.