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The FTSE 100 lost the early momentum provided by travel and resources stocks to trade 0.2% lower at 7,093.85 by midday.
Consultancy firm Science Group fell 1.3% to 466p on news that it had increased its takeover bid for engineering company TP to 6.5p per share, up from 5.8p, but again had been rejected by TP's board.
Science Group, which said it wouldn't raise its bid again, also upped its stake in TP to 18% and pledged to hold its shareholding with an 'active engagement strategy'. TP fell 4.1% to 5.8p.
Greeting cards and gift wrapping group IG Design slipped 0.7% to 518.4p, even as its year-to-date revenue jumped 25%.
IG Design, however, also foreshadowed cost headwinds and said its full-year earnings forecast remained in line with expectations, despite higher-than-expected sales.
Engineering company Wood Group fell 2.7% to 227.35p, having posted a first-half net loss, owing to falling revenue and a higher tax bill, though its operating profit improved due to lower write-downs.
Looking forward, Wood said it expected to return to growth in the second half, citing an order book up 18% in the year-to-date.
Precision measurement group Spectris gained 1.1% to £39.00 following news that it had agreed to sell its NDC Technologies business to Nordson Corporation for $180 million (£130 million).
Spectris said the proceeds would strengthen its balance sheet 'and then be deployed in accordance with our capital allocation policy'.
Pharmaceutical services group Open Orphan jumped 9.4% to 22.71p after it won an £8.1 million contract from a 'major global pharmaceutical company' to test an inhaled human rhinovirus antiviral product.
The test would be conducted via a challenge study, where subjects are intentionally infected with pathogens.
Clinical-stage biotherapeutics company PureTech Health shed 0.9% to 330.64p, having swung to a first-half loss as it continued to invest in the development of treatments for various diseases.
PureTech's pre-tax losses for the six months through June amounted to $94.9 million, compared to a year-on-year profit of $174.5 million.
Drug delivery system developer N4 Pharma rallied 5.3% to 9.8p on announcing that it had made progress on two projects testing the applicability of its technology in the gene therapy and Covid-19 vaccine spaces, respectively.
Financial services firm Frenkel Topping climbed 4.3% to 73p on the back of news that it had formed a joint venture with law firm Pattinson Brewer.