Becton Dickinson Irish arm sees pretax profit rise 28% to €136m

Pretax profits at the main Irish arm of medical technology firm Becton Dickinson rose 28 per cent last year to €136 million.

According to accounts filed by US-owned Benex Ltd to the Companies Registration Office, turnover increased by 12 per cent to €1.35 billion.

The Dún Laoghaire-based subsidiary acts as Becton Dickinson's regional distribution hub for Europe.

According to its accounts, it paid nearly €10 million in corporation tax here.

Macroeconomic deterioration

The directors’ report states the principal business risk facing the business was the possibility of a further deterioration in macroeconomic conditions in its main Europe market, which could result in reduced demand and downward pressure on price.

Foreign currency risks in dealing with entities in non-euro-denominated currencies will also continue, they said.

The ongoing business transformation costs associated with its acquisition of CareFusion, maker of patient safety-focused medical devices, would also be a factor.