FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Roche's third-quarter sales gained a currency-adjusted 9%, beating market expectations, on higher prescriptions of once-monthly haemophilia shot Hemlibra and recently launched eye drug Vabysmo.

Group sales of 15.14 billion Swiss francs ($17.46 billion) surpassed an analysts' consensus estimate of 14.9 billion francs, based on LSEG data.

The Swiss drugmaker reaffirmed on Wednesday it expects growth in 2024 adjusted earnings per share in the "high single-digit range", excluding the effect of currency swings and resolution of tax disputes in 2023.

($1 = 0.8671 Swiss francs)