Zentiva's profits fall 30% in first nine months of the year

A wave of selling of shares on the Prague stock exchange followed the announcement by the Czech generics group Zentiva of a 30% drop in profits to 39.4 million euros ($56.8 million) in the first nine months of the year, as sales rose 15% to 413.7 million euros. Final figures are due later this month and are anticipated to reflect the consolidation of the Turkish subsidiary Eczabasi-Zentiva together with a 10% downturn in sales in Romania. Prices on the Czech domestic market have continued to weaken throughout the reporting period.