Photo / NZ HeraldFisher and Paykel Healthcare said its first-half net profit shot up by 86 per cent to $225.5 million, driven by demand for its respiratory products arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The company said that based on stronger hospital hardware sales to date its net profit for the full year was forecast to be $400m to $415m, up from its August forecast of $365m-$385m. F&P Healthcare said the result was driven by increased demand for the company's hospital hardware, in particular its "Optiflow" and "Airvo" systems. He said the full-year forecast was based on the following assumptions:• Hospital hardware sales return to normal levels from January 2021. • The use of its hospital hardware returns down to approximately normal rates for the second half of the financial year.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 24, 2020 20:16 UTC