Biopool Reports Doubled Sales, Increase in Net

Biopool International in Ventura reported that sales more than doubled for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, and net income rose 50%.

Sales jumped to $4.3 million from $2 million in the third quarter of 1996. Net income for the quarter increased to $493,000 or 6 cents per share, from $327,000 or 4 cents per share for the same period in 1996.

Michael D. Bick, Biopool chairman and chief executive officer, said the third-quarter improvement is due mainly to two factors--many transitional operating costs were eliminated at the company’s BCA division, and sales growth allowed the per-unit cost to decrease.

Bick said the third quarter included a realignment in the management of the company’s sales representatives, which he expects will lead to more cost-effective selling efforts.

Biopool develops and manufactures test kits to assess and diagnose blood disorders and monitor the presence of drugs in the body. The company’s line of more than 150 Food and Drug Administration-approved products is sold to hospitals, blood-bank facilities and clinical and reference laboratories.