Abbott meets Street EPS

ABT reported third quarter diluted EPS of $0.58, meeting the Street's estimate and up 9% from $0.53 in the third quarter of 2004. The EPS figures excluded certain after-tax charges. Worldwide sales were $5.4 billion, up 15% from $4.7 billion in the same quarter in 2004, including a 1% bump from currency exchange. U.S. pharmaceutical sales grew 14% to $1.9 billion.

Third quarter sales of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug Humira adalimumab were $356 million, up 57% from the same quarter last year. Sales of HIV drug Kaletra were up 16% to $260 million. ...