Merck & Company reported that its first-quarter profit tripled from the same quarter a year before even though their generic competition only experienced a sales growth of 1%. These results by Merck even went beyond the expectations of what financial analysts in the industry predicted.

Even though Merck’s share prices have been basically flat all year long, they experienced a rice of 12 cents to $35.89 on Friday.

Chief Executive, Ken Frazier said the company was making increased efforts to boost their productivity and to more effectively manage their risks. “This helps to ensure that the return justifies the investments”, he said on a conference call with financial and market analysts.

Despite their rise in profits, Merck has also experienced some setbacks including negative data from clinical trials of an experimental heart drug called vorapaxar.

However, recent developments like resolving a two year argument with Johnson & Johnson over the rights for the anti-inflammatory drugs Remicade and Simponi, are improving the outlook of the medical company. They’ve also recently expanded their share purchase program by $5 billion.

In addition, the FDA advisory panel recommended the approval of the drug for hepatitis C called Victrelis. Executives say that the drug should be officially approved next month, and the company will be ready to begin distributing it immediately after approval.