Roche's Q1 Highlights: Increased Uptake Of Eye Disease Drug Cushions Sales Decline
Roche Holdings AG's (OTC: RHHBY) first-quarter sales dropped 7% Y/Y (down 3% at constant currency) to CHF 15.3 billion on falling demand for COVID-19 therapies and diagnostics kits.
Excluding COVID-19, Roche's sales grew 8%. Pharmaceuticals Division sales were up 9% to CHF 11.7 billion.
The eye medicine Vabysmo, launched in early 2022, became the division's biggest growth driver, generating CHF 432 million in Q1 sales.
Related: FDA Approves Roche's Polivy Combo Therapy For Untreated Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
The Diagnostics Division base business grows 4%, while divisional sales of CHF 3.6 billion are 28% lower due to exceptionally high demand for COVID-19 tests in the first quarter of 2022.
COVID-19 tests dropped to CHF 0.3 billion in the first quarter of 2023 from CHF 1.9 billion a year ago.
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker: "We saw strong growth in the first quarter in both divisions' base business, which largely compensated for the expected drop in sales of COVID-19 tests."
Guidance: Sales and core earnings per share were still expected to decrease at a "low single-digit" percentage in 2023, Roche added.
Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better.
This article Roche's Q1 Highlights: Increased Uptake Of Eye Disease Drug Cushions Sales Decline originally appeared on Benzinga.com
.
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.