Third quarter sales remained stable in comparison with the corresponding year-earlier period and showed diversity in terms of geographic trading zones and business areas. The various elements do not, however, have the same consequences in terms of profitability.

• Newly-launched medicines

• The third quarter of 1998 saw a very strong advance in worldwide sales of the anti-hypertensive agent, irbesartan, and the platelet aggregation inhibitor, clopidogrel. Total sales for these two products by Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb rose to FRF 660 million over the three month period against FRF 525 million during the first six months of 1998.
  Worldwide, the two products generated total sales of FRF 1.185 billion in 1998, of which only FRF 318 million are consolidated by Sanofi.

• Sales of the new antihypertensive agent irbesartan (Aprovel® , Avapro® , Karvea® ), rose to FRF 374 million in the third quarter, bringing total sales to the end of September 1998 to FRF 726 million. Sales consolidated by Sanofi reached FRF 133 million for the third quarter, bringing total sales to the end of September to FRF 303 million.

• Sales of the platelet aggregation inhibitor clopidogrel (Plavix® , Iscover® ),rose to FRF 286 million in the third quarter, bringing total sales to the end of September to FRF 459 million. Since the initial European launches - in Germany and the UK - occurred in the third quarter of the year, sales of the product consolidated by Sanofi amount to only FRF 15 million for the third quarter and in total.

• Sales of pharmaceutical products rose by 6.9% at comparable Group structure (8.1% at comparable Group structure and constant exchange rates) during the first nine months of the year.

• With regard to products, sales of the top ten medicines, excluding irbesartan and clopidogrel, rose by 10.3% during the first nine months of the year..

• Sales of pharmaceutical products in Western Europe and North America increased by 9.5% at comparable Group structure and constant exchange rates in the first nine months of the year. In the rest of the world, despite a decline in Eastern Europe in the third quarter of the year, sales to the end of September 1998 rose by 11.9% at comparable Group structure and constant exchange rates. Sales generated by various activities(toll manufacturing, sales of active chemical ingredients) were down by 1.4% at September 30, 1998.

• In other business areas (Diagnostics et Animal Health) sales dropped by 1.9% at comparable Group structure and constant exchange rates at September 30, 1998.

• In the Beauty business, total sales to the end of September advanced by 4% at comparable Group structure and constant exchange rates, the third quarter of 1997 having been marked by the launch of Oscar de la Renta’s new women’s fragrance " So de la Renta ". The profitability of the Beauty business continued to show strong improvement in the third quarter of 1998.

The positive performance of the two pharmaceutical products launched in the past 12 months and the good sales registered in major markets enable us to confirm the earnings forecast for the full year 1998, barring any major unexpected events.

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