J&J sees Q1 revenue jump 18%

US consumer products company Johnson & Johnson said first-quarter revenue jumped 18% to $11.6bn (€9.72bn), boosted by increased sales of pharmaceutical products and a 5.4% boost in revenue from foreign exchange rates.

The Dow Jones component saw a 12.3% increase in operational growth and a 5.4% boost in revenues from foreign exchange rates.

Sales from pharmaceutical products jumped 15.2%, consumer product revenues were up 14.3% and sales of medical devices and diagnostics rose 23%, with international sales growth outpacing the domestic sales in most categories.

Key drivers of sales growth were the Cypher drug-releasing stent, Acuvue contact lenses, Neutrogena skin care products, and prescription drugs including the Ortho Evra birth control patch.

Johnson & Johnson has about 110,000 employees worldwide and more than 200 operating companies in 57 countries.

The company has four outlets in Ireland: Janssen-Cilag in Cork, Johnson & Johnson Medical in Dublin, Johnson & Johnson in Dublin, and J&J Vision Care in Limerick.