Actelion's 1st-qtr profit doubles on forex effect

Shares in Actelion leapt 8% to 3.83 Swiss francs on April 22, after the Swiss biotechnology firm said that its first-quarter 2009 profit more  than doubled on the year before thanks to the strength of the US  dollar, as well as price increases and cost controls.

The Basel-based drugmaker said net earnings totaled 102.1 million francs  ($87.1 million) versus 44.5 million francs in the comparable period the  year before, as total sales jumped 26% to 405.6 million francs.

The firm's lead product, the pulmonary arterial hypertension drug  Tracleer (bosentan), generated 352.2 million francs, up 24%, boosted by  an 8% US price increase at the start of the year. Last month, US  regulators asked Actelion for a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy  before its can consider widening the indication of Tracleer to patients  with less severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (Marketletter March  9).