Actelion sees 1st-half sales of 437.1M SwFr

Swiss drug major Actelion has reported that its total net revenue for the first half of 2006 was 437.1 million Swiss francs ($554.0 million), up 48% on the year-earlier period. Net profit leapt 115.5% to 51.3 million francs The firm said that this was largely due sales of Tracleer (bosentan), its pulmonary hypertension treatment, which were 417.9 million francs, 5% ahead of Lehman Brother's estimate for the product.

The firm also said that Zavesca (miglustat), indicated for the treatment of Gaucher disease, contributed 11.6 million francs to its revenues, up from sales of 5.8 million francs in the same period last year.

Actelion added that its R&D expenses during the first half of the year increased to 101.0 million francs, including a 12% rise in its second-quarter investment. In addition, the firm reported that its selling, general and administrative costs were 84.7 million francs, up from 57.9 million last year due to the impact of salary increases and sales-related expenses.