Amgen Inc. (AMGN), the world's largest biotechnology company, on Monday reported higher third-quarter profit, fueled by double-digit increases in sales of its anemia drugs.

The company, which last month won U.S. approval for its highly anticipated new colon cancer drug, Vectibix, posted a net profit of $1.10 billion, or 94 cents per share, compared with a profit of $967 million, or 77 cents per share, a year ago.

Excluding stock options expenes and other items, Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen posted adjusted earnings of $1.04 per share, while analysts on average had expected 98 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.