Maximuscle beefs up GSK performance but OTC catches a cold

Lucozade maker GlaxoSmithKline has reported sales growth of 5% across its consumer healthcare business for 2011.

Much of the division’s growth came from nutritional healthcare, up by 10% for the year, buoyed by the acquisition of Maximuscle in December 2010. Sales of oral healthcare products, helped by NPD for the Sensodyne toothpaste brand, were up by 8% for the year.

But sales of OTC remedies and medicines, which account for almost half of the consumer division’s revenue, were flat over the year and down 2% in the final quarter after what GSK called a “fairly mild flu season”.

“Strong growth in emerging markets across the nutritionals portfolio was partly offset by lower sales of Lucozade in Europe, which was impacted by difficult economic conditions,” GSK added.

Profits for the division grew by 8% to £1.123bn, while sales of the company as a whole, including its pharmaceutical and vaccines businesses, hit £27.39bn.