Still driven by its offer of Covid-19 screening tests, the bioMérieux laboratory on Tuesday published solid increase in sales in the first quarter, but lowered its revenue target for 2021.
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Turnover reached 845 million euros over the first three months of the year, up 9.9% (+ 16.5% at constant scope and exchange rates), he said in a communicated.
This is a little less than expected by a consensus of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
But, in a context of improvement in the health situation in the United States, which leads to a reduction in demand for its Covid respiratory panels, the sales target for 2021 has been revised downwards, indicates the group, which hitherto expected sales growth of between 5 and 8% at constant exchange rates and perimeter.
From now on, BioMérieux forecasts an increase of 0 to 5% over 2021.
The clinical applications division, which represents the bulk of sales and includes in particular microbiology and molecular biology devices, recorded growth of 10.1% to 721.8 million euros over the first three months of the year.
It was supported by the molecular biology division (+ 10.7% to 324.5 million euros), thanks to sales of its Covid-19 respiratory tests.
However, "demand for respiratory panels grew very rapidly during the quarter, slowing significantly in the United States at the end of the period," the statement said.
Still within this division, the field of immunoassays recorded growth of nearly 22% to € 120.2 million, driven by sales of SARS-CoV2 serology parameters.
The turnover of the industrial applications division climbed 8.7% to nearly 123 million euros, supported by the sale of equipment to food and pharmaceutical customers.
Last year, the group had published sales up almost 17%, to 3.12 billion euros.
