Paris  - French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi-Aventis said Friday that its net profits, calculated at constant exchange rates, rose by 7.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2009, to 2.229 billion euros (3.31 billion dollars), compared to the same period last year.

Turnover for the quarter was 7.4 billion euros, up 6 per cent over the third quarter of 2008, the company said in a statement.

The positive results in the company's phamaceuticals business were led by the sales of its insulin brand Lantus, which rose by more than 20 per cent, to 778 million euros, in the third quarter of 2009.

While the net sales of its influenza vaccines were down 3.2 per cent for the quarter, to 378 million euros, Sanofi-Aventis said it expected sales of its H1N1 vaccines alone to total about 500 million euros in the fourth quarter of the year.

That prospect enabled the company to revise upwards its forecast for growth of earnings per share for the entire year to 11 per cent. (dpa)