Merck KGaA on Thursday reported a gain of 11.9% in adjusted quarterly earnings, helped by cost-cutting measures and temporarily lower spending on drug research and development. The German pharma and technology company said in a statement that earnings before interest,

Merck reported third-quarter earnings growth above expectations, helped by lower spending and a positive performance in life-sciences, but cautioned that full-year sales would come in at the bottom end of the forecast range.

Driven by growth across the board, including in its semiconductor business, German science and technology company Merck reported profit after tax of €812 million ($857 million) or €1.86 per share for the third quarter.