Sanofi-aventis Announces Good First-quarter 2009 P...( PARIS April 29 /- ...),Health

PARIS, April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

                                                               Change at
                                             Change on a        constant
                                Q1 2009         reported        exchange
                                -------            basis           rates
    Net sales               euro 7,107m            +2.5%           -0.2%*

    Adjusted net income
     excluding selected
     items                  euro 2,178m           +15.7%            +8.7%

    Adjusted EPS excluding
     Selected items          euro 1.67            +16.8%            +9.8%

*Change mainly impacted (-3.3%) by the end of commercialization by sanofi-aventis of Copaxone(R) in North America effective April 1, 2008; this has no impact on net income. On a constant structure basis and at constant exchange rates, net sales rose by 3.5%.

In order to facilitate an understanding of our operational performance, we comment on our adjusted income statement excluding selected items, a non-GAAP financial measure. Consolidated net income for the first quarter of 2009 was euro 1,578 million, compared with euro 1,325 million for the first quarter of 2008.

Good performance in the first quarter of 2009:

• EPS(1) up 9.8% at constant exchange rates and up 16.8% on a reported basis
• Sales growth(2) driven by a strong performance from our flagship products - Lantus(R) (up 27.1%), Taxotere(R) (up 8.3%), Aprovel(R) (up 11.1%) - and from vaccines (up 9.1%). Robust growth in the worldwide presence of Plavix(R) (up 8.6%)
• Sales up 5.1%(3) in the United States, 8.0% in emerging markets and 13.8% in Japan
• Continuing tight control over industrial and operating costs
• Cash flow for the quarter sufficient to fund the acqui
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