Reckitt Benckiser's sales are under the weather

31 July 2012

Drugs and hygiene giant Reckitt Benckiser revealed under-pressure revenues in Europe and the US as fewer cases of the common cold and flu hit sales of its Nurofen pain-relief range.

The company behind Durex condoms saw revenues in the transatlantic region drop 1% to £2.3bn in the six months to June 30 as weak consumer sentiment hit performance. A strong period for heartburn relief Gaviscon was offset by weak sales of certain products within the Nurofen range due to lower incidence of colds and flu.