Boehringer Ingelheim says it is on growth path, as 2011 sales rise 6.2%

German family-owned drug major Boehringer Ingelheim yesterday announced its financial results for full-year 2011, showing that net sales, after currency adjustment, increased 6.2 % to 13.2 billion euros ($17.43 billion). During the same period, operating income rose to 2.3 billion euros, compared to 2.2 billion euros in 2010, and the return on net sales increased to 17.3 %.

“Both the new launches of Pradaxa [dabigatran etexilate] and established medicines, such as Spiriva [tiotropium], Micardis [telmisartan] and Combivent [ipratropium and salbutamol] showed very gratifying growth,” said Hubertus von Baumbach, member of the board of managing directors with responsibility for finance and Animal Health. Above all, he said, the introduction of the oral anticoagulant Pradaxa, which achieved net sales of 629 million euros in 2011 (versus just 62 million euros the previous year), and contributed significantly to Boehringer Ingelheim’s growth in the past year, as well as being the company’s fastest-growing drug product.

Rx medicines growth double the world average