By Cecilia Butini

Merck KGaA said Wednesday that earnings and revenue rose in the first quarter, driven by all its business division but especially life science.

After-tax profit at the German pharmaceuticals-and-chemicals company came in at 748 million euros ($908.9 million) for the quarter, up from EUR458 million in the same quarter a year prior.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization before one-time items, or Ebitda pre, stood at EUR1.51 billion, compared with EUR1.18 billion in the first quarter of 2020, as the company had communicated in a preliminary statement on May 4.

Net sales came in at EUR4.63 billion, up from EUR4.37 billion, which had also already been communicated in a preliminary statement.

For the full year, sales are expected to come in between EUR18.5 billion and EUR19.5 billion, a guidance increase that had been previously communicated in a preliminary statement. Ebitda pre is seen coming in between EUR5.4 billion and EUR5.8 billion, the company said. That compares with a previous guidance of strong organic growth.

Write to Cecilia Butini at cecilia.butini@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-12-21 0141ET