Key Emerging Markets for the Established Pharmaceutical Products business include India, Russia, Brazil and China, along with several other markets that represent the most attractive long-term growth opportunities for Abbott’s branded generics product portfolio. Excluding the unfavorable effect of foreign exchange, sales in the Key Emerging Markets increased 14.2 percent compared to the first nine months of 2020 led by growth across several geographies, including India, China and Brazil. Other Emerging Markets, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, increased by 5.4 percent in the first nine months of 2021.
International Pediatric Nutritional sales, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, decreased 1.7 percent in the first nine months of 2021 versus the comparable 2020 period and the decrease reflects lower sales in China, the Middle East and Canada partially offset by higher volumes sold in various countries in Latin America and Europe. U.S. Pediatric Nutritional sales increased 8.9 percent primarily due to increased demand for Pedialyte®, Abbott’s oral rehydration brand, and Similac®, Abbott’s infant brand. International Adult Nutritional sales, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, increased 18.9 percent, and U.S. Adult Nutritional sales increased 6.0 percent, reflecting continued growth of the Ensure® and Glucerna® brands in several countries including the U.S.
The 69.2 percent increase in Diagnostic Products sales, excluding the impact of foreign exchange, was driven by demand for Abbott’s portfolio of COVID-19 tests as described above as well as growth in the base Core Laboratory and Molecular businesses. In Core Laboratory, sales increased 16.4 percent, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, due to the increased volume of routine diagnostic testing performed in hospitals and other laboratories, partially offset by lower sales of Abbott’s laboratory-based tests for the detection of the IgG and IgM antibodies, which determine if someone was previously infected with the COVID-19 virus. In March 2021, Abbott received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the U.S. for its AdviseDX SARS-CoV-2 IgG II test for the semi-quantitative detection of IgG antibodies to COVID-19 on its ARCHITECT® and Alinity® i platforms. In the first nine months of 2021 and 2020, Core Laboratory IgG and IgM antibody testing-related sales on Abbott’s ARCHITECT and Alinity i platforms were $159 million and $212 million, respectively. In the first nine months of 2021, Core Laboratory sales increased 23.1 percent, excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales, and increased 19.3 percent, excluding the impact of foreign exchange and COVID-19 testing-related sales.
The 9.9 percent increase in Molecular Diagnostics sales, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, was driven by growth in the base business from the continued roll-out of the Alinity® m platform as well as higher demand in the first half of 2021 for Abbott’s laboratory-based molecular tests for COVID-19 on its m2000® and Alinity m platforms. In the first nine months of 2021 and 2020, Molecular Diagnostics COVID-19 testing-related sales were $699 million and $664 million, respectively. In March 2021, Abbott received an EUA in the U.S. for its multiplex molecular test on its Alinity m system to detect COVID-19, influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in one test. In the first nine months of 2021, Molecular Diagnostics sales increased 31.3 percent, excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales, and increased 28.1 percent, excluding the impact of foreign exchange and COVID-19 testing-related sales.
In Rapid Diagnostics, sales increased 195.8 percent, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, due to the demand for Abbott’s COVID-19 tests on its rapid testing platforms, including the Panbio system, the ID NOW platform, and the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card test. In the first nine months of 2021 and 2020, Rapid Diagnostics COVID-19 testing-related sales were $4.5 billion and $0.65 billion, respectively. In January 2021, Abbott received CE Mark for two new uses of its Panbio rapid antigen test: asymptomatic testing and self-swabbing under the supervision of a healthcare worker. On March 31, 2021, Abbott announced that it had received an EUA in the U.S. for its over-the-counter, non-prescription BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Self Test for individuals with or without symptoms. In the first quarter of 2021, Abbott also received EUAs that allow the non-prescription use of the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test and the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card test for professional use for individuals with or without symptoms. In June 2021, Abbott announced that it had received CE Mark in Europe for its over-the-counter Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test for individuals with or without symptoms.
Excluding the effect of foreign exchange, total Medical Devices sales grew 20.7 percent driven by double-digit growth across all divisions, led by Diabetes Care, Structural Heart and Electrophysiology. Growth in Diabetes Care sales was driven by continued growth of FreeStyle Libre®, Abbott’s continuous glucose monitoring system, internationally and in the U.S. FreeStyle Libre and Libre Sense™ sales totaled $2.7 billion in the first nine months of 2021, which reflected a 37.2 percent increase, excluding the effect of foreign exchange, over the first nine months of 2020 when Libre sales totaled $1.9 billion. Libre Sense, which received CE Mark in Europe in the third quarter of 2020, is Abbott’s glucose sport biosensor specifically designed for athletes.