Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. drug distributor Cencora ( COR )

raised its annual profit forecast on Wednesday after posting

quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street estimates, buoyed by

surging demand for specialty therapies and blockbuster

weight-loss drugs.

The Philadelphia-based company now expects its annual

adjusted profit between $15.85 and $16.00 per share, up from its

previous expectation of $15.70 to $15.95 per share. Analysts,

had expected a profit of $15.83 per share, according to LSEG

data.

The robust results underscore how Cencora ( COR ) and its peers

Cardinal Health ( CAH ) and McKesson Corp ( MCK ) are

capitalizing on the increasing U.S. demand for high-margin

medicines that treat complex conditions, such as rheumatoid

arthritis and cancer.

"Our teams are fueling our growth as they identify

opportunities and customer-centric solutions that strengthen our

value proposition as the partner of choice," CEO Robert Mauch

said in a statement.

Leerink Partners analyst Michael Cherny said "the underlying

drivers of the guidance increase were more impressive to us than

the headlines."

Sales at Cencora ( COR )' U.S. Healthcare Solutions unit, its

biggest revenue driver, jumped 8.5% to $72.9 billion in the

quarter ended June 30, buoyed by strong prescription volumes of

GLP-1 class drugs used for diabetes and weight loss, as well as

higher sales of specialty medicines to physician practices and

health systems.

The company said its improved forecast reflects "stronger

earnings growth in the U.S. Healthcare Solutions segment," which

has benefited from heightened demand for complex and costly

therapies such as GLP-1 drugs, including Novo Nordisk's

NOVOb.CO> Wegovy and Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) Zepbound.

Cencora ( COR ) reported a third-quarter profit of $4 per share,

beating analysts' estimates of $3.84 per share.

Total sales were $80.66 billion during the quarter, above

the estimates of $80.14 billion.