J&J posts $22.3bn in revenues as vaccine maker waits for US blood-clot ruling        

J&J also boosted its dividend by 5% and its shares since the start of this year have risen by over 3%

The US paused use of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine last week after reports that six women had developed serious but rare blood clots in the brain after receiving the shot.  Picture: Mary Altaffer

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter sales, as the drugmaker awaits a ruling from US health regulators on whether use of its Covid vaccine can resume.

First-quarter revenue was $22.32bn (€18.6bn), outpacing the average analyst estimate of $21.98bn.