Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday announced sales of $17.6 billion in the third quarter of 2013, an increase of 3.1 per cent over the third quarter last year.
The world’s biggest maker of health-care products reported net earnings of $3 billion for the quarter as new drugs helped Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical business deliver strong results, the company said.
Johnson & Johnson has begun selling eight new medicines since 2011, including the blood thinner Xarelto and prostate cancer treatment Zytiga. Worldwide Pharmaceutical sales amounted to $7 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 9.9 per cent over the same quarter in 2012.
Worldwide consumer sales increased to $3.6 billion in the third quarter, a rise of 0.8 per cent over the prior year.
The third-quarter results included after-tax special items adding up to about $900 million, primarily related to an increase in accrual for litigation expenses, in-process research and development expenses and costs related to the acquisition of Synthes.