Novo Nordisk sales climb 21%

Novo Nordisk has posted a 21% rise in sales for first-quarter 2001, upto 5.35 billion Danish kroner ($637.7 million), while pretax profits and net income rose 66% and 70% to 1.36 billion kroner and 1.02 billion kroner, respectively.

Novo's diabetes care sales increased 19% to 3.75 billion kroner, driven by insulin products and Prandin/NovoNorm (repaglinide), which rose 50% to 355 million kroner, thanks to strong performances in Europe and the USA. Sales of NovoSeven (recombinant coagulation Factor VIIa), for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A or B, rose 63% to 730 million kroner, helped by the drug's introduction in Japan.

Hormone replacement therapy revenues were up 17% to 327 million kroner, while turnover of Novo's human growth hormones increased 4% to 457 million kroner, driven by the continued roll-out in Europe of Norditropin SimpleXx, the company's liquid growth hormone in a pen device. Novo reiterated that it expects full-year 2001 operating profits to increase 15% from last year's figure of 4.81 billion kroner.