Shire Pharmaceuticals Group today reported a 66 per cent rise in second-quarter pre-exceptional earnings per share.
The result came in the first set of figures since completion of Shire's merger with Canada's BioChem Pharma.
Britain's number three drug company said profits were driven by a 56 per cent increase in sales of Adderall, its top-selling drug to treat hyperactive children, to $69.4 million. That helped lift overall revenues 32 per cent to $210.8 million.
EPS before exceptionals and merger charges was 10.6 cents - against analyst expectations of up to 10 cents - and pre-tax profits rose 72 per cent to $70.7 million.
Among products inherited from BioChem, royalties from the AIDS treatment 3TC grew a modest 6 per cent, but Zeffix, for hepatitis, saw royalty income up 49 per cent.
Shire's acquisition of BioChem was finally cleared in May after being delayed for several months by a Canadian government investigation into its impact on the country's science base.
But Shire chief executive Mr Rolf Stahel said the integration of BioChem - after the green light was finally given - was the fastest of his company's six mergers in the past six years.