UPDATE 1-Sales of cancer drug Erbitux at German Merck jump
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FRANKFURT, Jan 31 (Reuters) - German drugs and chemicals group Merck KGaA (MRCG.DE) continued to benefit from its key cancer drug Erbitux last year, with sales growing 48 percent in the last quarter of 2007, its U.S. partner said on Thursday.
Erbitux sales, excluding the United States, rose to $186 million in the fourth quarter from $125.8 million a year ago, according to ImClone Systems Inc IMCL.O.
Erbitux is currently approved to treat colon cancer and head and neck cancer and generated 2006 worldwide sales of $1.1 billion.
Merck KGaA, which is ImClone's partner for Erbitux outside the United States, is set to release its results on Feb. 18.
The German company declined to comment on the sales number.
The family-controlled company sold its generics drug business last year to focus on higher-margin branded drugs such as Erbitux and multiple-sclerosis medicine Rebif.
Merck KGaA shares were flat at 80.94 euros at 1345 GMT, when the German DAX index .GDAXI was down 2.4 percent. (Reporting by Patricia Gugau and Mantik Kusjanto; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
