Boehringer Ingelheim saw its first-half prescription drug sales rise on the back of strong performances for Jardiance and Ofev.

Diabetes medicine Jardiance had sales of $776 million, up 68% from the prior-year period. Meanwhile sales of Ofev, an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis drug, rose 35% to $620 million.

Overall prescription drug sales were $7.1 billion and revenue was at $10 billion.

"We have grown in all our businesses, as expected, a little less strongly than in the extraordinarily successful 2017 financial year," said the company’s chairman, Hubertus von Baumbach.

“One reason, which we took account of in planning, is the increased generic competition in the important Japanese market for the blood pressure medicines Micardis and Twynsta."

The company said that it continues to expect modest growth in sales.