Align Technology reports further growth in Q1 2013

Align Technology has described the first quarter of 2013 as another encouraging period for the company, after it experienced a double-digit year-on-year increase in sales.

The firm's total net revenues for the period came to $153.6 million, up by 13.7 percent on Q1 2012 and by 7.5 percent on the preceding quarter, with rising demand for its Invisalign clear aligner products driving this growth.

Shipments of these devices rose by 15.1 percent year over year to 982,000, with demand from the North American territory being highlighted as particularly strong.

Additionally, Align introduced its next-generation aligner material SmartTrack during the first quarter and has received consistently positive initial feedback from customers and patients alike.

Thomas Prescott, Align's president and chief executive officer, said: "Q1 was a solid quarter across the board. We've started the year with better than expected revenue and non-GAAP earnings driven primarily by record Invisalign case volume."

The firm is looking to build on its record-breaking 2012 financial performance, during which it generated an annual revenue total of $560 million.