Lengthy flu season helps pep up Reckitt Coughs and sneezes helped Reckitt Benckiser enjoy a strong start to 2013 as the maker of Nurofen and Strepsils benefited from an extended flu season. Total revenues rose 7 per cent year on year to £2.5bn for the three months to the end of March - its strongest first quarter in four years. Analysts at Investec said that a worse-than-normal flu season had "flattered" the group. Reckitt's health division - which makes everything from painkillers to contraceptives - reported like-for-like sales growth of 13 per cent, as customers stocked up on products such as Mucinex to get through a particularly nasty flu season in the US. Sales were aided by a bumper marketing campaign to capitalise on the outbreak. Durex also performed well, with the company citing improved sales in China for the condom brand's strong performance. Overall sales in the health division rose nearly a third to £597m. Rakesh Kapoor, chief executive, said: "We are pleased with a strong start to the year, with our health and hygiene brands leading Reckitt's growth across all geographies." Mr Kapoor said earlier this year that he expects emerging markets to account for about half of all revenues from 2015. The FTSE 100 group's hygiene division - which accounts for nearly half of sales - reported like-for-like sales growth of 9 per cent to just over £1bn, with management citing a greater marketing push for the gains. Mr Kapoor said that "challenging market conditions" would continue, but predicted that the company would reach its full-year sales growth target of between 5 and 6 per cent while maintaining operating margins. Suboxone, the group's treatment for opiate addicts, came under pressure from generic rivals for the first time from March. Generics have already taken roughly 10 per cent of the tablet market, according to the group. Like-for-like revenues in the pharma division rose 19 per cent, however, due to strong volume growth for the drug's film form in the US. Reckitt's home division, which accounts for about a fifth of the group's revenues, had like-for-like growth of around 2 per cent, with revenues coming in at £488m. Brazil's affection for the stain remover Vanish helped the division. Like for like sales in the group's portfolio brands slumped 22 per cent to £130m as Reckitt restructures its southern European footwear business. Shares in the group, which have risen almost a third in the past 12 months, were down 1 per cent at £46.59 in afternoon trading.