Roche posted a big Q1 sales gain. So why is the company expecting a slowdown later this year?

Roche delivered a double-digit sales increase in the first quarter, but CEO Severin Schwan still thinks the company’s full-year haul may come in flat versus 2021.

The Swiss pharma giant generated 16.4 billion Swiss francs ($17.2 billion) in revenues in the first quarter, up 11% at constant currencies. But COVID-19 products contributed a big portion of the growth, and Roche is expecting a slowdown for the group throughout the rest of the year.