(Adds comment from conference call, share movement)

May 7 (Reuters) - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc said it expects sales of blockbuster eye drug Eylea to grow even more quickly following data that showed it was superior to rival treatments.

The company said it now expected net sales of its flagship drug to be 30-35 percent higher this year than in 2014, when Eylea raked in global sales of $2.78 billion.

In February, the company forecast sales growth of 25-30 percent.

Sales of Eylea in the United States leapt 51 percent to $541 million in the first quarter ended March 31, helping the company's adjusted profit handsomely beat the average analyst estimate.

Eylea has charmed investors since it was first approved in late 2011 to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Regeneron's shares have risen nearly eight-fold since the drug's launch, while revenue has soared to more than $2.8 billion from about $446 million.

The stock climbed as much as 3 percent to $482.99 on the Nasdaq on Thursday, before paring those gains to trade slightly down.

Data from a government-sponsored study, called "Protocol-T", published in February demonstrated that Eylea was better than Roche Holding AG's rival drugs, Avastin and Lucentis, particularly in patients with severe vision loss.

Much of Eylea's growth appears to be related to the reaction among physicians to the protocol-T data, said Robert Terifay, Regeneron's senior vice president, commercial.

"According to our qualitative survey, the market share for Eylea now surpasses Lucentis in the United States," Terifay said on a post-earnings call.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March expanded the use of Eylea to treat diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in adults.

Eylea has also been cleared to fight macular edema, and a related sight-robbing condition called diabetic macular edema.

Even as Eylea sales continue unabated, investors are turning their focus to the company's next potential blockbuster Praluent, which is aimed at millions who cannot tolerate or realize enough benefit from widely-used statins.

The companies are in a fierce race with Amgen Inc, which is also looking to market a similar drug.

Regeneron anticipates an initial "gradual" uptake of Praluent, executives said on the call, citing a "complex and carefully managed" reimbursement environment.

(Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)