Bergen Brunswig Posts 2nd-Quarter Profit

Bergen Brunswig, an Orange wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals and health care products, said profit for its latest fiscal quarter totaled $14.5 million, or 40 cents a share, including a charge of $800,000 for uninsured earthquake damage. That compared to earnings of $12.8 million, or 34 cents a share, for the same period last year, which included a onetime charge of $2.6 million. Sales for the company’s second quarter, which ended March 31, were up 6% to $1.8 billion from $1.7 billion. For the first half, profit rose slightly to $24.9 million, or 68 cents a share, from $24.7 million, or 66 cents a share. Six-month sales increased 12% to $3.7 billion from $3.3 billion.