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Sales & Earnings In Brief

Merck consumer slips; Sanofi touts diversity; Bayer’s eye on the prize; incentives, China slow USANA growth; Ukraine changes cost Mannatech; vitamins strengthen Church & Dwight.

A 4% slide to $546 million in consumer health care product sales in its latest earnings period likely is not evidence that would push Merck & Co. Inc. toward deciding to keep the business. The Whitehouse, N.J.-based pharma firm said April 29 that product divestitures and slow allergy product sales in North America during its fiscal 2014 first quarter held back consumer product growth, which also took a 1% hit from foreign currency exchange rates. While Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC and Bayer AG are reported to be bidding for Merck’s consumer business, which includes the Claritin antihistamine, Centrum vitamin and Coppertone sunscreen brands, CEO Kenneth Frazier said during a same-day earnings call that the firm has not decided whether to divest the business its animal product business. Merck noted in its release that sales of OTC Claritin products slipped 4% from the year-ago quarter to $170 million.

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