LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Competition from multiple genericversions of its cholesterol fighter Crestor hit AstraZeneca's third-quarter sales but the drugmaker mitigated thedamage with income from disposals and good growth in newproducts.
Revenue declined 4 percent $5.7 billion but core earningsper share (EPS), which exclude some items, rose 28 percent to$1.32, the British group said on Thursday.
Industry analysts had on average forecast quarterly revenueof $5.90 billion and earnings of 97 cents a share, according toThomson Reuters.
For the full year AstraZeneca reiterated its forecast of alow to mid single-digit percentage decline in both revenue andcore earnings at constant exchange rates. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Greg Mahlich)