Roche Holding backed its full-year guidance as its pharmaceuticals division helped drive a first-half rise in sales. The Swiss drugmaker Thursday reported first-half sales of 30.36 billion Swiss francs, equivalent to $37.28 billion.

Compared with the same period a year earlier, sales grew 6% on a constant exchange rate basis and exceeded the 30.27 billion Swiss francs analysts had expected, according to a company compiled consensus. The pharmaceuticals division drove a significant portion of the growth, with sales rising 6%.

Continued demand for its allergy, haemophilia A and breast cancer drugs were among the key growth drivers, it said. Meanwhile, its diagnostics division saw a 3% rise in sales on demand for immunodiagnostic and clinical chemistry products, Roche added.