Nycomed Restructures At Nine Months

Nycomed of Norway's pretax profits for the first nine months of 1996 were 898 million Norwegian kroner ($141.5 milllion), down 32%. Operating profits were 1.7 billion kroner, down 20.8%. Operating revenues were 5.8 billion kroner, down 6.7%.

The group's pharmaceuticals business achieved turnover of 2.3 billion kroner, compared with 2.4 billion kroner, in year-earlier nine-month period. The imaging business' turnover was 3.5 billion kroner, down from 3.8 billion kroner a year earlier.

Nycomed is to implement a restructuring program, Focus '98, over the next two years with the aim of achieving savings of around 600 million kroner before tax. Around 700 jobs are expected to disappear as part of the plan.