News: CSL UPDATE 1-CSL's half-year profit beats estimates on robust blood plasma collections

(Updates with details, Citi estimate)

Feb 14 (Reuters) - Australia's CSL Ltd (CSL) reported a 10% jump in its first-half profit on Tuesday, surpassing analyst estimates, as an uptick in blood plasma collections and the acquisition of Swiss drugmaker Vifor Pharma AG boosted its bottomline.

CSL - which earns most of its profit from selling blood plasma treatments for rare diseases - said plasma collections rose 10% above pre-pandemic levels and its immunoglobulin product sales increased 19%.

"The strong growth we have seen in plasma collections and our immunoglobulins franchise is expected to continue," said Chief Executive Officer Paul Perreault.

The company also reaffirmed its underlying profit forecast that was upgraded in mid-October last year, but said full-year results were likely to depend heavily on first-half earnings.

The biotech giant said its underlying net profit after tax attributable for the six months ended Dec. 31 was $1.96 billion on a constant currency basis, higher than $1.78 billion logged last year, beating a Citi estimate of $1.80 billion.

It declared an interim dividend of $1.07 per share, a little higher than $1.04 per share announced last year.