Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares climbed 3% after second-quarter earnings fell less than expected.
Helped by 8% sales from its pharmaceutical arm, group revenue rose 4.3% to $22.45 billion, which was above the $22.3 billion Wall Street average forecast.
Earnings per share came in at $1.93, down from $2.05 a year ago, but better than the $2.71 Street consensus, per FactSet.
Cancer drug Darzalex and psoriasis drug Stelara were the sales stars, up 18.4% to $2.88 billion and 3.1% to $2.89 billion respectively. Both topped analysts' estimates.
Stelara has long been a key driver of revenue growth for J&J, with analysts forecasting sales of over $10 billion this year.
J&J finance chief Joe Wolk boasted that the quarterly performance was "marked by numerous clinical and regulatory milestones that address some of the most complex healthcare challenges facing patients worldwide".
He called the financial performance "solid", demonstrating the diversification of the business.