Strong Rise In Fresenius Sales

German pharmaceuticals and medical technology group Fresenius AG has reported a 20% rise in sales to 969 million Deutschemarks ($626.6 million) for the first half of 1994. However, chairman Gerd Krick noted at the company's annual general meeting that sales trends compared with first-half 1993 were unsatisfactory because of the impact of government cost control legislation.

The dialysis-technology sector expanded by 22%, pharmaceuticals by 10% and intensive medicine and diagnostics by 16%. Foreign sales accounted for 61% of the total compared with 56% in first-half 1993. The 1994 forecast is for group sales to increase 10% over the 1.7 billion marks posted in 1993. Profits are expected to rise more sharply than sales. In 1993, Fresenius group net profit reached 45 million marks.