Bengaluru — Johnson & Johnson (J&J) reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year forecast, driven by strong demand for its new cancer drugs and gains from its acquisition of Swiss biotech Actelion. Shares of J&J, part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, were up 1.6% at $138.3 in premarket trading on Tuesday. Higher sales of cancer drugs Darzalex and Imbruvica helped the company post a 15.4% rise in pharmaceutical sales in the third quarter. The company, which makes everything from Band-Aid bandages to blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade, said its results included the effect of the first full quarter of the acquisition of Actelion, which added 7.9% to worldwide operational sales growth. The company completed the $30bn acquisition of Actelion in June, giving it access to high-price, high-margin treatments for rare diseases. J&J raised its 2017 profit forecast to a range of $7.25 to $7.30 per share from a range of $7.12 to $7.22 per share estima...
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