Pfizer profit, sales up sharply on Wyeth purchase

NEW YORK (AP) - Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. sees its first-quarter profit and revenue skyrocket, thanks to its giant acquisition of Wyeth last October.

The maker of cholesterol fighter Lipitor and impotence pill Viagra says its adjusted income for the first three months totals $4.88 billion, or 60 cents per share. That's up 33 percent from $3.67 billion or 54 cents a share, a year earlier.

With the addition of Wyeth blockbusters such as antidepressant Effexor and children's vaccine Prevnar, Pfizer's revenue hits $16.75 million. That's up 54 percent from $10.87 billion a year earlier.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, were expecting slightly lower earnings per share of 53 cents and revenue of $16.58 billion.