LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Reckitt, the maker

of Dettol cleaning products and Strepsils throat lozenges, on

Thursday missed expectations for fourth-quarter like-for-like

net sales as a late flu and cold season dented demand for its

over-the-counter medicines.

The British company said it expects full-year like-for-like

net sales growth of between 2% and 4%, and that it has so far

this year seen a boost from sales in emerging markets such as

India and China.

Reckitt expects low-single digit sales growth in North

America in the first quarter of the year, however, as U.S.

pharmacies stock fewer products.

"Pharmacies in the U.S. are under some pressure in terms of

having less traffic," CEO Kris Licht told Reuters in an

interview. "Other retailers, large retailers that we work with,

are doing quite well."

Reckitt has had a mixed year, with its stock falling sharply

early on in 2024 over an internal investigation into its Middle

Eastern business and its involvement in litigation surrounding

an infant nutrition product made by its U.S.-based Mead Johnson

business.

A lawsuit had accused the company of failing to warn of the

medical risks of some premature baby formulas, but a jury found

in November Mead Johnson was not responsible for a young boy's

debilitating intestinal disease.

The company said in July it was considering options for the

nutrition business and that it would offload a portfolio of

homecare brands by the end of 2025, planning to refocus on

healthcare and hygiene.

Shares in Reckitt were down about 2.6% in early trading on

Thursday.

The company's fourth-quarter like-for-like net sales rose

4.6%, behind the 5.3% growth analysts had expected in a

company-supplied poll.

The company, whose products include Nurofen tablets, cold

remedy Lemsip and Durex condoms, said sales from its hygiene

business rose 5.5%, beating analysts' estimates of 4.1% growth

from a company-supplied poll.

However, fewer people bought Reckitt's seasonal cold

products during the quarter, and sales in the company's health

unit rose only 2.4%. Analysts had expected growth of 6.9%.

For the full year ended December, Reckitt's operating profit

rose 3% to 3.48 billion pounds ($4.49 billion).

($1 = 0.7753 pounds)