Associated British Foods, the company behind budget retailer Primark, has said a stronger pound and dollar would have a bigger-than-expected hit on full-year earnings and could weigh on profits in its new financial year.

Irish agribusiness company Origin Enterprises has completed the €22.4m takeover of a Polish counterpart as part of its ongoing expansion in the Eastern European market.

Sales at Irish-founded discount-clothing retailer Primark were up 13%, year-on-year, for the first nine months of its financial year.

Primark’s expansion into the US is “well-advanced”, with the Dublin-headquartered discount clothing retailer set to open its first store there this year.

Glanbia has exited its consumer dairy products joint venture in Nigeria to reinvest in its core areas of performance nutrition and ingredients.

Kerry Group is to invest much of its capital resources into driving organic growth this year but has said its acquisition pipeline remains strong, with an estimated €1bn available to spend.

Diversified food group, Glanbia has maintained its full-year guidance for 8%-10% adjusted earnings per share growth on the back of a strong trading performance for the first nine months of the year.

Greencore has reported a near 7% year-on-year increase in third-quarter revenues, adding that it remains on track to meet full-year earnings targets.

Global food giant Glanbia has recorded astonishing growth in its nutrition section which saw revenues grow by 38% in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period last year.

Glanbia’s mantra of “keeping the wealthy healthy,” shows no signs of letting investors down as the group reports strong results from its nutritional division in the US.

Irish pharmaceutical services company Icon has reported a 92% increase in annual net profits, for 2012, to $60.4 million (€45.2m.

United Drug aims to double its earnings over the next five years, while increasing the growing internationalisation of its business.

Elan suffered a near 9% fall in its share price yesterday after news that its partners have ceased plans for their headline Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

Clinical research company Icon has reported a near 15% increase in first-half revenue to $529m (€437m).

ELAN is aiming to double its revenues to about $2.5 billion (€1.78bn) and the number of patients using its multiple sclerosis treatment Tysabri over the next five years.

THE owners of multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri have reported a further 10 cases of the rare brain disease PML as a side-effect of using the treatment.

IRISH pharmaceutical firm Elan plans to further reduce its debt levels using the proceeds made from a bond offer to institutional investors.

IRISH pharmaceutical services company and clinical trials specialist, Icon, has reported a 17% increase in full-year operating profit to $116 million (€86m) for last year.

ELAN has updated its full-year guidance to allow for a forecast of adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $75 million (€50m), after it reported a switch from net loss to net profit for its third quarter.

IRISH pharmaceutical firm Elan will have to restructure its €1 billion strategic development deal with US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) before the end of this month.

ELAN Drug Technologies (EDT) — the drug delivery arm of Irish pharmaceutical firm, Elan — stands to make nearly $8 million (€5.7m), before additional payments, from its manufacture of a new multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment for US pharma firms, Acorda Therapeutics and Biogen.

DUBLIN-headquartered pharmaceutical company Elan is expected to give some update on the future of its drug technology division, when it issues its third-quarter results next week.

IRISH pharmaceutical distribution group Cahill May Roberts, reported a 3.2% drop in first half revenue to €157 million.

THE Irish pharmaceutical company Elan yesterday refused to withdraw its drug Tysabri from the market, saying its side effects are worth the risk.

SHARES in Elan gained nearly 20% yesterday as the prospect of multiple sclerosis treatment Tysabri getting back on sale edged nearer.

ELAN shares surged 11% yesterday as investors gained confidence from news that the pharmaceutical company had agreed a contract extension with its chief executive.

EIRCOM is set to spark a price war in the mobile phone market after announcing its €420 million takeover of Meteor yesterday.

EIRCOM will ask shareholders to provide €350 million through a rights issue to part-fund the company’s takeover of mobile operator Meteor, according to market analysts.

ELAN shareholders’ roller-coaster ride took a sharp up-turn as high as 25% yesterday after positive news on multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri boosted investor confidence.

ELAN shares dived again yesterday, tumbling 55% after the ailing pharmaceutical firm announced further bad news on its key multiple sclerosis drug.

ALLTRACEL shares surged 14% yesterday after the pharmaceutical company announced a major new product breakthrough.

EIRCOM employees pocketed another €50 million yesterday after its staff trust off-loaded part of its 29% stake in the former State phone company.

THE American private equity group that plans to buy Northern drug company Warner Chilcott for close to €2.3 billion has opened the door to rival bidders to be part of the takeover.

FIRST AID product developer Alltracel Pharmaceuticals remained on track to meet analysts forecasts when it reported strong third-quarter revenues of €0.7 million yesterday, up from €0.1 million in the same period last year.

ATHLONE-BASED pharmaceutical company Elan is to take a €45 million hit on profits to cover a class action lawsuit in the US and the anticipated costs of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation.

THREE of Ireland’s largest publicly-quoted companies CRH, Kerry Group and Eircom are expected to announce bottom-line increases later this week.

ELAN shares tumbled almost 7% in Dublin yesterday after it said it would hold off on releasing data from trials of its Antegren drug.

UNITED DRUG has boosted its war chest for future acquisitions by raising $102 million (€83m) in new borrowing.

ELAN’S €2 billion plus asset sell-off may have come to an end yesterday with the disposal of potential Botox competitor Myobloc for up to €15 million.

ELAN has signed a deal with Eli Lilly to manufacture the international drug giant's drugs at its Athlone site.

GALEN HOLDINGS plans to complete its metamorphosis from an Irish pharmaceuticals group into a company focused on the US by changing its name to Warner Chilcott.