NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) — Becton Dickinson today said that its fiscal first-quarter revenues rose 13 percent as R&D spending increased 14.5 percent and its profit nearly doubled.
Total revenues for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2007, increased to $1.7 billion from $1.5 billion year over year. Currency effects contributed roughly 6 percent of the revenue growth, the firm said.
BD said revenues from its Diagnostics segment swelled 18 percent to $522.7 million, while its Biosciences segment revenue followed suit, rising 18 percent to $273.7 million. Revenue from its Medical segment was up 10 percent to $909.3 million.
Around five percent of the growth in the Diagnostics segment came from the acquisition of TriPath in early 2007, and sales of molecular testing systems also contributed to growth in the segment, BD said.
The firm’s cell analysis products, which are part of the Biosciences segment, has robust sales of $137.8 million, a 28.6 percent increase over sales of $107.2 million in the comparable quarter a year ago.
Sales in the US increased 10 percent to $790 million, while sales outside the US climbed 17 percent to $916 million, aided by an estimated 11 percent favorable currency impact.
BD’s profit for the quarter rose sharply to $271.5 million, or $1.07 per share, from $142.9 million, or $.56 per share, in the year-ago period. Last year’s results included costs of $114.7 million related to acquired in-process research and development from its acquisition of TriPath.
The firm’s R&D spending for the quarter increased to $91.5 million from $79.9 million year over year, while its SG&A costs rose 9.8 percent to $421.7 million from $384.1 million.