J&J's record 2nd-qtr 2006 sales boost profit 10%

US health care major Johnson & Johnson says that its second-quarter 2006 net earnings rose 10.2% on the like, year-ago period, to $2.8 billion, meeting expectations. Diluted earnings per share totaled $0.95 as revenues rose 4.7% to $13.4 billion, while analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast EPS of $0.97 on turnover of $13.3 billion.

J&J's solid top-line results were helped by a large contribution from medical devices and diagnostics, which saw sales of $5.2 billion, a 6.2% increase, with operational growth of 6.7% and a 0.5% negative impact from currency. Domestic sale rose 8.9%, while global renvenue from this unit increased 3.5%.

Primary contributors to J&J's operational growth in this area included Endo-Surgery's minimally-invasive products. US sales of the Cypher sirolimus-eluting coronary stent, made by J&J's Cordis unit, jumped 11% but overseas revenues remained constant. The biggest single gain came from eye-care products, which saw an 11% rise in global income.