HIV drugs and flu vaccines help GlaxoSmithKline beat forecasts

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, helped by strong demand for HIV drugs and flu vaccines, which offset a continued slide in sales of respiratory medicine.

Sales, in sterling terms, rose 9 percent to 6.13 billion pounds ($9.4 billion) in the three months ended Sept. 30, generating core earnings per share (EPS) down 18 percent at 23.0 pence.

Analysts on average had forecast sales of 6.08 billion pounds and core EPS, which excludes certain items, of 19.3p, according to Thomson Reuters.

($1 = 0.6543 pounds) (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Martinne Geller)

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