FRANKFURT, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche

on Thursday lifted its full-year profit guidance, even

after nine-month sales were burdened by foreign exchange effects

to come in below expectations.

In a statement, the group said it projected a gain in

adjusted earnings per share in the "high single to low double

digit" percentage range.

The was up from a previous guidance for the figures to grow

by a "high single digit" percentage. It confirmed its outlook

for mid single-digit sales growth.

The brighter earnings prospects, albeit excluding the

foreign-exchange burden, could provide a tailwind for CEO Thomas

Schinecker as he invests heavily in obesity drugs to challenge

the two dominant makers of weight-loss drugs, Novo Nordisk

and Eli Lilly ( LLY ).

Group revenues during the January-to-September period were

up 2% in non-adjusted terms at 45.9 billion Swiss francs

($57.87 billion), below forecasts cited by analysts for about

46.2-46.4 billion francs.

($1 = 0.7931 Swiss francs)