Ipsen says revenues for the first half of 2014 inched up 0.7% to 666.8 million euros, while core operating income jumped 12.5% to 162 million euros, helped by “continuous cost control”.

Sales were driven by Decapeptyl (triptorelin pamoate) for prostate cancer, which rose 9.1% to 160.5 million euros, while the French drugmaker's Somatuline (lanreotide) range of drugs for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours was up 12.9% to 139.3 million euros. The latter represented a rebound after “a particularly difficult 2013 in China and the Middle East”, Ipsen noted.

Sales of Dysport (abobotulinumtoxin A) for wrinkles and cervical dystonia, which competes with Allergan’s Botox (botulinum toxin A), slipped 1.5% to 128.6 million euros. Chief executive Marc de Garidel said the strong growth exhibited by Somatuline and Decapeptyl “have allowed specialty care to end up far above expectations”.