TOKYO (Reuters) - Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd on Friday posted a 27.9 percent rise in third-quarter operating profit, supported by strong sales of its drugs for bowel disease and multiple myeloma.
Profit reached 112.5 billion yen ($1.03 billion) in October-December, Japan's biggest drugmaker said in a stock exchange filing.
The company also maintained its full-year operating profit forecast at 268.9 billion yen. That compared with the 240.7 billion yen average of 10 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv.
Takeda completed a $59 billion deal to acquire peer Shire in January, joining the ranks of the world's biggest 10 drugmakers by sales - and also becoming one of the world's most indebted.
(Reporting by Takashi Umekawa; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
