Shire Pharmaceuticals Group has appointed Merrill Lynch as a joint corporate broker, to give the firm more of an international focus.

Clea Rosenfeld, investor relations manager at Shire, said that WestLB Panmure already acts as Shire's corporate broker, but that the addition of Merrill would provide much-needed international exposure. She said that the firm had not used Merrill in the past for similar purposes.