Prostrakan, the Borders-based specialist drugs firm, announced yesterday that trading in the first four months of the year had been at the high end of management's estimates and total revenues increased by 38% compared with the same period in 2007, writes Douglas Hamilton.

The company also said the stronger euro had helped lift revenue growth by 8%. The strong performance was helped by sales of products such as the rectal ointment Rectogesic and the nausea treatment Xomolix.

"ProStrakan has made an excellent start to the year in terms of product sales in Europe," chief executive Wilson Totten said.

ProStrakan said recently it had successfully completed a clinical trial for Fortigel as part of the push to launch its cure-all for the male menopause in the US.

The treatment, which is aimed at 40-plus males, is a estosterone-replacement treatment for hypogonadal men. The company added that it will file for US regulatory approval in he third quarter.