Research & Development

At Roche, we believe that finding new drugs and diagnostics for serious medical problems is the central responsibility of a healthcare company. Scientific progress teaches us more about disease every day, revealing new opportunities to diagnose, treat, and possibly prevent illness and help people live longer, healthier and fuller lives. s a leading pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, Roche is ideally placed to help tailor healthcare more closely to individual patients’ needs, making treatment safer and more effective. We call this Personalised Healthcare.

Roche has become and continues to be, a leader in combating disease by funding and conducting research and development (R&D) into serious and life-threatening diseases. Of critical importance, our R&D is focused on treating the underlying causes of disease rather than the symptoms, in the following areas:

• Oncology (cancer)
• Virology (infectious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and influenza)
• Transplantation (preventing organ rejection)
• Respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Anemia (lack of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the body’s organs)
• Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis
• Diseases of the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression and schizophrenia
• Vascular disease, such as peripheral or coronary artery disease.

Roche has one of the most promising pipelines in the industry, with 64 new types of drugs and 34 additional indications (AIs) in development. We also have one of the highest success rates in late-stage clinical trials.

Diagnostic tests play a key role in improving the results of treatment. They help healthcare providers choose the most appropriate therapies and monitor how patients respond to treatment. This in turn contributes to effective, good value healthcare tailored to each patient’s needs. Continuous investment in diagnostics has kept us at the leading edge of innovation in the industry.

There is more information about selected Roche products and services and the therapies available in the disease areas we work in under Diseases.

R&D creates opportunities to develop and market new treatments to address unmet medical needs. At the same time, it can raise an array of ethical, legal and societal concerns. At Roche, we recognise our responsibility to respect, consider, manage and take a position on these issues as they arise during our research.