THE NEWS: French drugmaker Sanofi reported a 50 percent jump in first-quarter profit from a year earlier, when its earnings were weighed down by a hefty charge related to its veterinary medicine business.
THE NUMBERS: The drugmaker earned €1.8 billion ($2.4 billion), up from €1.2 billion. Sales grew 9.4 percent to €8.5 billion, lifted by double-digit revenue growth in Sanofi's diabetes and consumer health care businesses.
THE OUTLOOK: Sanofi still expects core earnings to fall by up to 15 percent this year from the combined loss of patent protection on its Plavix blood thinner and Avapro blood pressure drugs.
