Lundbeck's third-quarter financials have revealed healthy performances for its new products and the antidepressant blockbuster Cipralex.

Net profit was down to 267 million Danish kroner (about $49.2 million) from 426 million kroner, a smaller-than-expected fall, while revenues slipped 2% to 3.56 billion kroner. Cipralex (citalopram) increased 5% to 1.46 billion kroner but Lexapro, the US version of the product sold by Forest Laboratories, sank 61% to just 21 million kroner.

The Alzheimer's disease drug Ebixa (memantine) fell 37% to 423 million kroner, due to generic competition in Europe, while sales of Azilect (rasagiline) for Parkinson's disease increased 6% to 349 million kroner.

As for Lundbeck's newer products, Xenazine (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease posted sales of 346 million kroner, up 9%, while epilepsy drug Sabril (vigabatrin) brought in 131 million kroner (+7%). Onfi (clobazam) for the treatment of Lennox Gastaut-syndrome climbed 122% to 157 million kroner.

Chief executive Ulf Wiinberg said the quarter was "yet another strong period for Lundbeck – from a financial, regulatory and clinical development perspective". At the end of September, the company received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the antidepressant Brintellix (vortioxetine).

The Danish drugmaker was fined 93.8 million euros in June by the European Commission which accused Lundbeck of paying companies to delay market entry for their generic versions of Cipralex. The firm appealed in September and expects a decision within two to three years, though that judgment could be appealed to the European Court of Justice (by Lundbeck or the Commission) and it may be up to six years before a final ruling is reached.