Cephalon's 3rd-qtr 2006 sales increases 56%

USA-based Cephalon says its third-quarter 2006 revenues reached $482.3 million, a 56% surge on the like, year-ago period. Sales during the period, which exceeded the firm's predictions of $425.0 - $440.0 million, were driven by strong income from its wakefulness drug Provigil (modafinil) and its opioid painkiller Actiq (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate).

Basic income per common share for the quarter was $1.58. Excluding amortization expenses and certain other items, basic adjusted income per common share was $1.78, a 125% increase over $0.79 in the third quarter of 2005 and exceeding the high end of the guidance range by $0.43.

During the period, Cephalon's central nervous system franchise saw adjusted sales rise 40% to $212.1 million while adjusted sales for its pain drugs rose 81% to $181.7 million. Adjusted sales of other products totaled $63.4 million.