By Helena Smolak


Sanofi backed its full-year guidance after first-quarter sales and profit beat analysts expectations.

The French pharmaceutical company said Thursday that its business operating profit--one of the company's preferred metrics, which strips out exceptional items--fell 15% to 2.84 billion euros ($3.04 billion). The company's profitability was hit partly by higher costs.

Sales rose 2.4% to EUR10.46 billion, driven by continued strength in anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent and its new drug launches.

Analysts expected business operating profit of EUR2.75 billion on sales of EUR10.27 billion, according to a poll of 14 analysts by Visible Alpha.

Sanofi backed its earnings per share guidance for the year.


Write to Helena Smolak at helena.smolak@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-25-24 0156ET