French drugmaker Ipsen has posted a 1.6% rise in sales for the third quarter but says that it is still on track to meet its full-year targets.
Ipsen noted that revenues reached 224.1 million euros, driven by sales of Decapeptyl (triptorelin pamoate) for prostate cancer, which increased 2.4% to 56.2 millions, while its Somatuline (lanreotide) range of drugs for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours was up 2.9% to 25.0 million euros. Turnover from Dysport (botulinum toxin type A) for wrinkles increased 3.2% to 32.1 million euros and the recombinant human growth hormone NutropinAq (controlled-release somatropin) soared 48.9% to 6 million euros.
The firm’s president, Jean-Luc Belingard, said that the results reflected “a strong quarter to quarter volatility in some of the international markets in which we grow fast” but “we therefore expect to reach our full-year 2007 sales objective” of a 4%-5% turnover growth. This is despite the price reduction on its gingko biloba extract Tanakan in France.
In terms of quarterly highlights, Mr Belingard added that Ipsen is very proud to have obtained its first-ever Food and Drug Administration approval for a product originated by the firm’s R&D in the USA. Somatuline Depot will be shortly launched there by partner Tercica and “we feel confident that they will market it successfully by offering to patients suffering from acromegaly a new treatment option that has been proven to be effective, and very convenient to use’, he added.
Mr Belingard concluded by noting that Ipsen is currently launching Increlex (mecasermin), a new product to treat a growth disorder in youngsters, and the firm is “confident the drug will provide many endocrinologists with a useful tool to solve a high unmet medical need”.
