German pharma, chemical company Merck sees 1st-quarter net profit drop 76 percent

August 31st, 2009 Merck to form 5 divisions after Schering buyoutNEW YORK — Richard T. Clark, current president and CEO of Merck, says the company will restructure into five divisions after it completes the buyout of rival Schering-Plough for $41.1 billion.

August 7th, 2009 Schering-Plough shareholders OK purchase by MerckTRENTON, N.J. — Shareholders of drugmaker Schering-Plough almost unanimously support being bought by bigger New Jersey neighbor Merck.

August 6th, 2009 ProSiebenSat.1 Q2 earns down 30 percentBERLIN — German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG said Thursday that its net profit slipped 30 percent in the second quarter as slack advertising sales contributed to a drop in revenue. Unterfoehring-based ProSiebenSat.1, whose television channels include Sat.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins and N24, said net earnings for the April-June period declined to euro45.5 million ($65.5 million) from euro59.5 million a year earlier.

August 5th, 2009 Henkel 2Q net profit up sharply to euro143 millionFRANKFURT — German consumer goods company Henkel AG, maker of Persil detergent and Loctite adhesive, said Wednesday its net profit in the second quarter rose sharply from the year ago quarter, when it took significant restructuring charges. The Duesseldorf-based company said net profit for the April-June period rose 276 percent to euro143 million ($206 million) from euro38 million in the second quarter of 2008.

August 3rd, 2009 Linde 1H net profit down 34 percentFRANKFURT — German industrial gas company Linde AG said Monday that its net profit for the first six months of the year fell 34 percent, citing a difficult market environment and falling business volumes in the recession. The Munich-based company earned euro248 million ($354 million) in the January-June period, compared with euro375 million in the first half of 2008.

July 31st, 2009 MUMBAI - Realty major DLF Friday reported a 79 percent drop in its net profit to Rs.396 crore for the quarter ended June 30 from Rs.1,863.97 crore in the same quarter, the previous fiscal. The company's total income also slipped to Rs.1,649.86 crore, a 57 percent drop from the previous corresponding quarter's Rs.3,810.62 crore.

July 30th, 2009 BASF's 2Q net profit narrows to €343 millionBERLIN — German chemical company BASF SE warned of a significant drop in sales and earnings this year and said its second-quarter net profit plummeted nearly 74 percent to €373 million ($526.1 million). The recession cut into sales and its acquisition of specialty chemicals firm Ciba also hit profits.

July 30th, 2009 Siemens 3Q net profit euro1.3 billion, down 7 percentFRANKFURT — German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Thursday its net profit for its fiscal third quarter fell 7 percent as the global recession curbed demand for its products which range from light bulbs to high-speed trains. The Munich-based company said net profit in the April-June period fell to euro1.3 billion ($1.8 billion) from euro1.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.

July 30th, 2009 Abaxis profit soars in Q2UNION CITY, Calif. — Abaxis Inc.

July 24th, 2009 Merck Q2 net profit falls 48 percent to euro109 MFRANKFURT — German drug and chemical maker Merck KGaA said Friday its second quarter net profit fell 48 percent as higher research costs and one-time effects from the acquisition of Serono weighed on the bottom line. The Darmstadt-based company reported a net profit of euro108 million ($153 million) in the April-June period compared with euro207 million a year earlier.

July 21st, 2009 DuPont 2Q profit plunges on sales drop, chargesDOVER, Del. — The chemical maker DuPont Co.

June 22nd, 2009 FTC requests more info from Merck, Schering-PloughNEW YORK — Drugmakers Merck and Co. and Schering-Plough Corp., which are in the process of a $41.1 billion tie-up, said Monday the Federal Trade Commission has asked for more information about the deal.

April 27th, 2009 Sweden's Scania 1Q profit falls 93 percentSTOCKHOLM — Swedish truck and bus maker Scania AB on Monday reported a 93 percent drop in first-quarter net profit, as the global financial crisis continued to weigh on demand and capacity utilization. Net profit for the first quarter was 179 million kronor ($22.1 million), down from 2.5 billion kronor in the same period last year, Scania said.

April 27th, 2009 Audi 1Q operating profit down 29 percentFRANKFURT — German luxury carmaker Audi AG said Monday that its first-quarter operating profit fell by 29 percent as the global economic crisis ate into sales. Ingolstadt-based Audi said its operating, or pretax, profit was down to euro363 million ($479 million) in the January-March period from euro514 million a year earlier.

April 21st, 2009 Schering-Plough 1Q profit jumps despite sales fallNEW YORK — Schering-Plough Corp., in the process of being acquired by competitor Merck & Co., said Tuesday drug sales fell in the first quarter but profit tripled because of cost cutting and a charge in last year's quarter related to an acquisition. The Kenilworth, N.J.-based maker of arthritis treatment Remicade and allergy spray Nasonex earned $767 million, or 46 cents per share.