Yahoo Finance

June 24 (Reuters) - Walgreen Co, the largest drug retailer in the United States, reported a 15.7 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by strong growth in prescription sales.

Prescription sales, which make up for nearly 65 percent of the company's total sales, rose 8.4 percent in the third quarter.

Net income rose to $722 million, or 75 cents per share, in the quarter ended May 31, from $624 million, or 65 cents per share, a year earlier.

Sales rose 5.9 percent to $19.40 billion.

(Reporting by Shailaja Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)