Pretax Profits Up 18% At Gambro

Swedish company Gambro has announced an increase of 18% in pretax profits to 1.2 billion Swedish kroner ($159 million) in 1994. Sales for the year rose 8% to 9.8 billion kroner ($1.3 billion). The good performance was said to have been driven by a 9% volume increase in underlying sales and lower financial costs.

The renal care business had sales of 6.4 billion kroner, up 7%. This is slower growth than the 11% rise reported in 1993. However, Gambro pointed out that this was in line with expectations.

There was an adjusted sales rise of 4% in the group's second-largest business area cardiovascular surgery. Growth in health care services was 33% to 1.15 billion kroner. Sales growth in the blood components business was said to be stronger than in the previous year.