STRONGER sales of HIV drugs have helped a company strengthen profits.

GlaxoSmithKline, which has a factory in Barnard Castle, County Durham, says core operating profit was up 19 per cent to £1.56bn in the first quarter, as sales lifted 11 per cent to £6.23bn.

The firm revealed the lift was underpinned by new product sales, which were supplemented by successes with HIV treatments Tivicay and Triumeq.

It said total HIV sales climbed 57 per cent to £729m, which helped offset declines in respiratory drugs.

Pharmaceutical sales were up five per cent to £3.59bn, while consumer healthcare picked up four per cent to £1.76bn.

The update came after full-year core operating profits slumped 13 per cent to £5.73bn in February after a series of asset swaps with Swiss rival Novartis.

Chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, said: “This puts us on the right track to achieve the expectations we set out last year, although we expect some quarter-to-quarter volatility given the dynamics of our businesses.”

GlaxoSmithKline’s Barnard Castle plant is the company’s skin division headquarters and includes a £20m dermatology centre of excellence.

The site employs up to 1,400 people at peak times, and makes antibiotics and liquid fillings for injections and nasal sprays.