Sales Up 6.8% At Boeh Ingelheim

German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has announced sales for the first six months of 1996 of 3.4 billion Deutschemarks ($2.3 billion). The increase was largely attributed to volume sales growth, new product introductions and acquisitions. Currency fluctuations made a minor positive impact of 0.4%, while the sales of businesses reduced turnover by 0.3%.

Prescription-only drug sales advanced 6% in the first half to 2.9 million marks, accounting for 85% of corporate sales. BI's animal health business achieved sales of 176 million marks, up 53%, largely a result of the acquisition of Fermenta Health in the USA. Revenues from the firm's bakery products and foods were flat at 169 million marks, and chemical turnover was down 8% to 215 million marks, following the termination of two distribution agreements in the USA.

BI spent 578 million marks on R&D in the first six months of the year, up 15.4%.