Wyeth's revenues hit $5.2B for 1st-half 2006

US drug major Wyeth says that it achieved worldwide net revenue of $10.0 billion in the first half of 2006, up 8% on the same period in 2005. The firm said that the increase had been driven, particularly in the second quarter of the year where it saw sales of $5.2 billion, by the improved performance of key products Enbrel (etanercept), the rheumatoid arthritis drug for which it holds exclusive rights outside the USA and Canada, and Prevnar, its vaccine against invasive pneumococcal disease, which earned the company $370.0 million and $518.0 million, respectively, in the reported period.

Wyeth added that worldwide sales of Effexor (venlafaxine), the number one selling antideppressant indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety, social anxiety and panic, reached $918.0 million in the second three months of 2006, representing 3% growth on the comparable period last year. The company also reported that its proton pump inhibitor Protonix (pantopazole), which is approved for use in erosive esophagitis, contributed net revenue of $441.0 million in the reported quarter.

Consumer health and animal care divisions