Pharma firm Procter & Gamble Health Friday reported a 79.21 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 40.70 crore for the first quarter ended March 2019, driven by high interest income and operational efficiencies.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 22.71 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, Procter & Gamble Health said in a filing to the BSE.

Total income of the company stood at Rs 248.72 crore for the quarter under consideration. It was Rs 203.54 crore for the same period a year ago.

"With a brand portfolio backed by science and trusted by doctors, pharmacists and consumers, and the best of consumer health capabilities and cultures, we are working towards creating a much stronger presence in India's fast-growing consumer health industry," Procter & Gamble Health Ltd MD Milind Thatte said.

Procter & Gamble Health (formerly Merck Ltd) manufactures and markets over-the-counter products, vitamins, minerals, and supplements products.

Shares of the company closed at Rs 3,707.25 per scrip on the BSE, up 0.33 per cent from the previous close.

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