Sales At Merck KGaA Rise Almost 10%

Merck KGaA of Germany said that in the first nine months of 1996 it experienced continuing good business development. Sales grew almost 10% to 5.16 billion Deutschemarks ($3.43 billion). Operating profits advanced 10.6% to 693 million marks, and ordinary profits were 577 million marks, up 25.2%. Net income was 365 million marks. The firm said that this figure, after just nine months, already reached the level of the entire previous year but for 4 million marks.

Turnover in Europe was up 7% in the first nine months of the year. In North America, sales grew 18%, driven in the main by the good business in pharmaceuticals. Sales increased 14% in Latin America and over 7% in Asia.

The pharmaceuticals sector was the driver behind the overall success of the group, according to Merck. Pharmaceutical tunover was up 13% to 2.9 billion marks in the nine-month period. With 86% and 50% respectively, the over-the-counter and the generics sectors accounted for the most rapid growth.