Actelion's 1st-qtr 2007 loss deepens 179%

Swiss biotechnology firm Actelion says that its first-quarter 2007 net revenue rose to 290.4 million Swiss francs ($394.1 million) from 210.6 million francs in the comparable period last year. However, the company's net loss for the quarter deepened to 150.0 million francs versus 53.7 million, as its loss per share reached 6.43 francs vs fully-diluted earnings per share of 2.33 francs.

In a note to investors, analysts at Lehman Brothers stated that strong sales momentum of Tracleer (bosentan), its pulmonary hypertension treatment, continued during the period with sales of 260.4 million francs, a 6% sequential rise on fourth-quarter 2006. However, sales of the pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Ventavis (iloprost) inhalation solution were disappointing. Actelion acquired the agent when it bought California, USA-based CoTherix in a $420.0 million deal last year (Marketletter November 27, 2006). Income from Zavesca (miglustat), the first oral treatment option for type I Gaucher disease, reached 7.5 million francs vs 5.4 million francs, though it was flat on a quarter-to-quarter basis.