Prescription Drugs Power Johnson & Johnson Results

Health-care company raises its full-year forecast as third-quarter sales rise 3.6%

Peter Loftus and

Kimberly Chin

Updated Oct. 16, 2018 10:52 a.m. ET

Johnson & Johnson reported higher revenue and profit for the third quarter, as improved pharmaceutical sales helped offset weakness in its medical-device business.

Global sales of J&J’s cancer drugs, which include Zytiga for prostate cancer and blood-cancer treatments Darzalex and Imbruvica, jumped 36% for the quarter. Overall, sales at the company’s pharmaceutical unit—its biggest business—rose 6.7%.

But...