TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltdon Friday posted a 27.9 percent rise in third-quarteroperating profit, supported by strong sales of its drugs forbowel disease and multiple myeloma.
Profit reached 112.5 billion yen ($1.03 billion) inOctober-December, Japan's biggest drugmaker said in a stockexchange filing.
The company also maintained its full-year operating profitforecast at 268.9 billion yen. That compared with the 240.7billion yen average of 10 analyst estimates compiled byRefinitiv.
Takeda completed a $59 billion deal to acquire peer Shire inJanuary, joining the ranks of the world's biggest 10 drugmakersby sales - and also becoming one of the world's most indebted.
($1 = 108.8700 yen)
(Reporting by Takashi Umekawa; Editing by Christopher Cushing)