Basel, Switzerland—Lonza reported its Full-Year 2018 results in a press release, including 9% organic sales growth, 12% organic CORE EBITDA and 14% organic CORE EBIT growth. The press release further noted that this was the first full year with Capsugel as a combined company.

The press release says that sales amounted to CHF 5.5 billion. Margins for Lonza resulted in a CORE EBITDA margin of 27.3% and a CORE EBIT margin of 21%.

Pharma & Biotech showed 14% sales growth and margins up 260 bps, and the Consumer Health division had “positive momentum,” according to the press release. However, the challenging environment for parts of the Consumer & Resources Protection portfolio continued to have a negative impact on the business; the press release says that countermeasures are being implemented to improve profitability. Lonza launched further growth initiatives to expand its global and technological footprint, including the expansion of Ibex™ Solutions.

At the Annual General Meeting, the press release says, the Board of Directors will propose a stable dividend for shareholders of CHF 2.75 per share for 2018.

Richard Ridinger, CEO of Lonza, said in the release, “With these record full-year results, Lonza achieved another successful milestone toward our 2022 goals. The Healthcare Continuum®, which we first introduced in 2016 and have continued to shape since then, has proven to be the right strategy for profitable growth and strong market leadership. The transformative acquisition of Capsugel added value from the first day, and we can be proud of our achievement in bringing two high-performing companies together successfully. We have set Lonza up for continued growth along the Healthcare Continuum® and have created value for all stakeholders, including our shareholders.

The full report can be viewedhere.