Abbott Laboratories, USA, has posted net earnings growth of 9.6 per cent during the first nine months ended September 2007 despite marginal rise in profits during the third quarter. The company's net earnings reached at US$ 2,403 million from US $2,193 million in the corresponding period of last year. Its net sales moved up by 15 per cent to US $18693 million from US $16,258 million. Based on its strong results year to date, Abbott has confirmed its 2007 earnings-per-share outlook and raising the lower end of its previous guidance range.

'Abbott's strong performance during the first nine months was again balanced across our major broad-based business," said Miles D White, chairman and chief executive office. "We expects this momentum to continue in the fourth quarter and into 2008, when the strength of our diversity will drive an accelerating rate of earnings-per-share growth compared to 2007".

The company's total sales including pharmaceuticals, nutritional, diagnostics and vascular increased by 12.5 per cent to US $ 9,283 million during the first nine months of current year. The worldwide pharmaceutical sales increased by 17.8 per cent to US $10,435 million and the same in the US increased by 20.3 per cent to US $5,500 million. The global sales of HUMIRA increased by 48.9 per cent to US $2,109 million and that of Depkote and Kaletra increased by 23.3 per cent and 13.7 per cent during the first nine months of 2007.

The Worldwide nutritional sales declined marginally by 1.4 per cent to US $3,201 million basically due to fall in US sales by 12.3 per cent. The diagnostics sales went up by 10.5 per cent to US $2,299 million and sales of Vascular's increased sharply by 80 per cent to US $ 1,246 million.

The research and development expenditure increased by 11.1 per cent to US $1,843 million during the first nine months ended September 2007 from US $1,659 million in the last period. Further, selling general and administrative spending increased by 19 per cent to US $5,528 million. The operating earnings saw a strong growth of 33.3 per cent to US $3,060 million from US $2,296 million.