Four leading U.S.-based worldwide pharmaceutical companies reported...

Four leading U.S.-based worldwide pharmaceutical companies reported sharply higher first-quarter earnings and sales, attributing the improvements largely to new products and the dollar’s weaker value overseas, which makes American exports more competitive. The firms are Rahway, N.J.-based Merck & Co., Morris Plains, N.J.-based Warner-Lambert Co., New York-based Pfizer Co. and Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Upjohn Co.