Stallergenes' 4th-qtr 2008 sales jump 15%

French drugmaker Stallergenes says fourth-quarter 2008 sales continued to register strong growth in all markets, up 15% year-on-year to 49.7  million euros ($66.3 million), bolstered by a 17% increase in revenue  from sublingual immunotherapies to 40.4 million euros.

During the period, sales in southern Europe grew 14% to 36.4 million  euros. The region includes Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece.  Meanwhile, turnover in other European Union countries, as well as  Switzerland, jumped 17% to 11.3 million euros.

Quarterly sales of Oralair Grasses in Germany were in line with  expectations. The commercial launch of the allergy drug for adults took  place there at the end of July (Marketletter October 27, 2008). The  marketing authorization for the use Oralair in children, which should be  delivered very soon by the German agency, will initiate the European  mutual recognition procedure of the product.