FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Swiss drugmaker Roche on Thursday lifted its full-year profit guidance, even after nine-month sales were burdened by foreign exchange effects to come in below expectations.

In a statement, the group said it projected a gain in adjusted earnings per share in the “high single to low double digit” percentage range.

The was up from a previous guidance for the figures to grow by a “high single digit” percentage. It confirmed its outlook for mid single-digit sales growth.

The brighter earnings prospects, albeit excluding the foreign-exchange burden, could provide a tailwind for CEO Thomas Schinecker as he invests heavily in obesity drugs to challenge the two dominant makers of weight-loss drugs, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

Group revenues during the January-to-September p

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