*

Q3 like-for-like net sales down 0.5% vs forecast down 1.7%

*

Price/mix up 0.9%, volumes down 1.4%

*

Sharp decline in nutrition business volumes

(Adds detail in paragraphs 5-6)

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Reckitt reported a

smaller than expected fall in third-quarter underlying sales on

Wednesday, helped by its health business, which makes Nurofen

painkillers and Strepsils lozenges.

The company, which also owns the Dettol and Lysol cleaning

brands, said it was on track to meet full-year targets.

Reckitt's quarterly like-for-like net sales fell 0.5%, ahead

of the 1.7% decline analysts had expected in a company-supplied

poll.

"Health delivered sequential improvement in the quarter and

Hygiene delivered a solid quarter of growth despite a more

competitive market backdrop in developed markets," CEO Kris

Licht said.

Price/mix, a metric that reflects how much Reckitt sold its

products for, rose 0.9% while volumes declined 1.4%, weakened by

Reckitt's nutrition business. Analysts expected the price/mix to

rise by 1.4% and volumes to fall by 3.1%.

A roughly 14% sales volume decline in Reckitt's nutrition

business was driven by "the combination of lapping high market

shares experienced during the U.S. competitor supply shortage

and the impact from the Mount Vernon tornado, which destroyed

both finished goods and raw materials and impacted short-term

supply to customers in the third quarter," the company said.