MS drug Rebif boosts Merck sales in Q2
Reports 11.6% total sales growth
German pharmaceuticals firm Merck reported solid sales across all its divisions in the second quarter, helped by higher sales of multiple sclerosis drug Rebif.
Merck said the firm had seen ‘solid second-quarter results due to healthy demand in all our businesses, tight cost management, and favourable currency exchange rates’.
Karl-Ludwig Kley, Merck chairman said the Merck Serono prescription drug division ‘performed particularly well, sustaining strong growth trends for a fifth consecutive quarter in emerging markets and in its fertility and endocrinology businesses’.
Merck’s second-quarter total revenues rose 12% to €2.85bn. EBITDA pre (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation and one-time items) rose 14% to €747m.
Merck Serono’s second-quarter sales increased 11% to €1.54bn, helped by organic double-digit sales growth in North America (21%), Emerging Markets (10%), and Rest of World (15%), which more than offset softer trading conditions in Europe, where sales declined for the fourth consecutive quarter (–2.4%).
Global sales of Merck’s largest single product, Rebif, rose 9.6% to €492m, while sales of the cancer treatment Erbitux increased 7.1% to €226m.
The division’s EBITDA rose at a faster rate than sales, improving by 20% to €439m.
The firm said its Merck Millipore division is ‘continuing successfully on its path to deliver profitable growth’. Second quarter sales rose 11% to €649m, reflecting organic growth of 3.2%, a 6.0% benefit from positive currency exchange rates and a 2.2% boost from acquisitions.
All three Merck Millipore business units contributed to the growth, especially Lab Solutions and Process Solutions.
Geographically, emerging markets was the growth driver for the sales increase. Merck Millipore’s EBITDA improved by 15% to €148m.
Based on these results, Merck has upgraded its full-year total revenues and EBITDA pre guidance for 2012. It expects markets for biopharmaceuticals and over-the-counter treatments to grow, driven by volume growth in emerging markets.
The firm also expects demand for its life science products to remain solid as well as volume growth in biologic-based pharmaceuticals.