Nov 7 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Viatris beat Wall

Street estimates for third-quarter profit and revenue on

Thursday, helped by strong demand for its new generic asthma and

ADHD drugs, among others, sending its shares up 2.5% premarket.

Sales at Viatris' ( VTRS ) generic business have been boosted by new

products such as Breyna, a cheaper version of AstraZeneca's ( AZN )

asthma inhaler Symbicort, and lisdexamfetamine, a

generic of Takeda's ADHD drug Vyvanse.

The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based company reaffirmed its

annual sales forecast of $500 million to $600 million for new

products, which generated revenue of $133 million during the

third quarter.

Viatris' ( VTRS ) portfolio includes key branded drugs such as

erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, anti-anxiety medication Xanax,

epilepsy treatment Lyrica, and arthritis treatment Celebrex.

When adjusted for divestitures, quarterly revenue at the

company's branded drugs unit rose 2% to $2.36 billion from a

year ago, while its generic business grew 4% to $1.38 billion.

Viatris ( VTRS ) closed its women's health and active pharmaceutical

ingredients (API) business divestiture in June. It closed the

over-the-counter (OTC) divestiture in July.

The drugmaker reported revenue of $3.74 billion for the

third quarter, beating analysts' average estimate of $3.71

billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Its adjusted quarterly profit of 75 cents per share also

came in above estimates of 68 cents.

Viatris ( VTRS ), however, cut its 2024 profit forecast to between

$2.56 and $2.71 per share from a prior view of $2.58 to $2.73.

The company, formed by the merger of Mylan and Pfizer's ( PFE )

Upjohn business in 2020, said it anticipates added

research and development costs due to its licensing agreement

for Lexicon's diabetes drug sotagliflozin.