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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Merck KGaA on Thursday forecast currency-adjusted operating earnings growth of up to 8%, helped by demand for semiconductor chemicals and for lab equipment in biotech drug production.
The German group said in a statement that 2025 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for special items, would likely reach between 6.1 billion euros ($6.6 billion) and 6.6 billion euros.
That would be up from 6.07 billion euros reported for 2024, which was broadly in line with the average analyst estimate.
Fourth-quarter earnings growth was driven by materials to make microchip systems for artificial intelligence, by its established cancer drug Erbitux and by demand for lab supplies, the family-controlled company added.
($1 = 0.9258 euros)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, Editing by Miranda Murray)