Q2 2026: double-digit sales growth and strong business EPS growth; 2026 guidance upgraded
Q2 sales growth of 17.8% at CER1 and business earnings per share (EPS)2 of €2.09
- Pharma launches sales increased by 48.3%, reaching €1.3 billion, driven mostly by Ayvakit, ALTUVIIIO, and Sarclisa
- Dupixent sales increased by 37.6% to €5.2 billion, above €5 billion per quarter for the first time
- Vaccines sales decreased by 4.7% to €1.1 billion, impacted by a high basis of comparison in influenza vaccines
- Research and Development expenses reached €2.2 billion, up by 17.9%, including cost from pipeline prioritizations
- Selling and general expenses reached €2.5 billion, up by 9.0%, mainly because of recent acquisitions and one-offs
- Business EPS was €2.09, up by 33.3% at CER; 31.4% at actual exchange rates; IFRS EPS €0.29
Pipeline update
- Seven regulatory approvals; in immunology, rare diseases, oncology, and neurology
- Two positive phase 3 readouts: Nexviazyme in infantile-onset Pompe disease; amlitelimab maintenance in atopic dermatitis
- Four regulatory submission acceptances, four regulatory designations (priority review, fast-track, breakthrough)
- Strategic pipeline decisions: amlitelimab will not progress to global regulatory submission. Itepekimab and balinatunfib clinical development programs discontinued
Capital allocation
- Completion of the €1 billion share buyback program
Sustainability
- The Impact® medicines portfolio is now available in 30 underserved countries, supporting the Global Health Unit’s goal of reaching two million patients with non-communicable disease treatments by 2030
Guidance upgraded
- In 2026, sales are now expected to grow by around 10% at CER. Business EPS at CER is expected to grow slightly faster than sales.3
My first months as CEO have focused on assessing the challenges facing
| Q2 2026 | Change | Change at CER | H1 2026 | Change | Change at CER | |
| Net sales | €11,597m | +16.0% | +17.8% | €22,106m | +11.1% | +15.7% |
| IFRS net income | €343m | -91.3% | — | €1,957m | -66.3% | — |
| IFRS EPS | €0.29 | -91.0% | — | €1.63 | -65.6% | — |
| Free cash flow1 | €2,670m | +86.8% | — | €3,724m | +51.5% | — |
| Business operating income | €3,291m | +33.7% | +35.8% | €6,258m | +16.7% | +22.3% |
| Business net income | €2,501m | +28.9% | +31.0% | €4,765m | +14.8% | +20.4% |
| Business EPS | €2.09 | +31.4% | +33.3% | €3.97 | +17.1% | +22.7% |
1 Changes in net sales are at constant exchange rates (CER) unless stated otherwise (definition in Appendix 8).
2 To facilitate an understanding of operational performance,
Appendix 8). The income statement is in Appendix 3 and a reconciliation of IFRS net income to business net income is in Appendix 4.
3 Applying
4 Free cash flow is a non-IFRS financial measure (definition in Appendix 8).
Attachment
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