The turnover of the American pharmaceutical group Amgen started to rise again in the second quarter as the effects of the pandemic on the sales of certain drugs began to fade but should continue to weigh on the activity until the end of the year.
Read also: The Amgen laboratory expects a persistent impact of the Covid on its results in 2021
Amgen's revenues grew 5% from April to June, to $ 6.5 billion, as higher volumes offset a slight drop in prices, a statement said.
The withdrawal of routine appointments between patients and doctors has postponed certain diagnoses.
Amgen says it has seen a gradual resumption of medical visits and laboratory tests during the period under review compared to the first trimester.
However, the latter remain below the levels before the Covid and the accumulation of diagnostic delays
"weighs on the volume of new patients starting treatments, which should continue to affect our activity in the second half of the year,"
said the laboratory.
Lower sales of Enbrel
In the second quarter, sales of the osteoporosis drug, Prolia, increased by 24% while those of the cholesterol-lowering agent Repatha increased by 43%.
On the other hand, sales of the “blockbuster” Enbrel (autoimmune diseases) fell by 8%, mainly due to lower prices.
Amgen's net income fell 74% over the period to $ 464 million, weighed down by costs related to the acquisition of Five Prime Therapeutics.
Reported per share and excluding exceptional items, it amounted to 4.38 dollars, against 4.06 expected by analysts.
On the New York Stock Exchange, the title fell 0.8% in electronic trading following the official session.
