Investing.com -- Sanofi reported better-than-expected revenue and operating income for the first quarter, helped by strong demand for its flagship drug Dupixent.

The French drugmaker reported first-quarter sales of €10.51 billion, ahead of the €10.22 billion analyst consensus, while business operating income came in at €2.97 billion, ahead of the €2.85 billion forecast.

Sanofi shares rose 2% in early Paris trading by 07:20 GMT.

Sales of Dupixent, Sanofi’s asthma and eczema treatment developed with U.S. partner Regeneron, surged 30.8% on a constant-currency basis to €4.17 billion, comfortably beating the €3.89 billion analysts had forecast.

Business earnings per share (EPS) grew 14% at constant currency to €1.88.

"We had a strong start to 2026 with double-digit sales and business EPS growth," said Sanofi’s interim CEO Olivier Charmeil.

"Dupixent sales were above the €4 billion quarterly mark again and grew by 30.8%. Business EPS was up by 14.0%, reflecting a measured growth of 7.0% in total operating expenses," he highlighted.

The vaccines division posted sales of €1.3 billion. Solid demand for combined polio and pertussis vaccines helped offset softer sales of flu and RSV shots.

Sanofi reaffirmed its full-year outlook, targeting high single-digit sales growth at constant exchange rates, with business operating income expected to grow at a slightly faster pace than revenue.