1965

Product introduction: Mogadon, insomnia agent

Mogadon is launched, a benzodiazepine for the management of insomnia in patients with difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night.

1966

Foundation of Roche Sisseln

Roche Sisseln, built on a site that today covers 91 hectares, is built in a small municipality in Fricktal, Switzerland.Over the years, Roche Sisseln will become one of the Group’s most important productions sites. It manufactures vitamins A and E and folic acid, vitamin and carotenoid powder for the food and animal feed industries, and carotenoids and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

1968

Creation of diagnostics products division

The creation of a department for diagnostic products marks Roche’s entry into a new sector. Apart from developing new diagnostic tests and automatic analysers, the new department’s objectives include setting up service laboratories to perform clinical analyses for hospitals and office-based physicians.

1968

Foundation of Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley

Roche Nutley opens the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology as one of the first centres for Research and Development.

1968

Vitamin studies for retinoids, leading to pharmaceutical products Airol (1973), Tasmaderm (1981), Tigason and Roaccutan (1982), Neotigason (1988)

A research programme is started to study vitamin-A-like compounds known as retinoids. Because of the side effects associated with large doses of vitamin A, the search focuses on derivatives with little or no vitamin A activity. Over the years, Airol (1973), Tasmaderm (1981), Tigason and Roaccutan (1982; in the US: Accutane), and Neotigason (1988) as effective products for mild and severe skin diseases are introduced.

1969

Product introductions: Bactrim, antiinfective agent; Berocca, nerve tonic vitamin B complex / vitamin C

Bactrim, an antimicrobial co-developed with Burroughs Wellcome, is launched. Two active ingredients, sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol) and trimethoprim, which inhibit two successive steps of bacterial metabolism, produce a synergistic antibacterial effect.The nerve tonic Berocca – vitamin B complex plus vitamin C – is launched.

1971

Inauguration of Roche Institute for Immunology, Basel

The Basel Institute for Immunology, founded by Roche in 1968, opens. The first director is Niels Kaj Jerne, later to receive a Nobel Prize.

1971

Product introduction: Fansidar, antimalarial drug

As Roche’s first antimalarial drug, Fansidar (pyrimethamine sulfadoxine) is launched to fight malaria and malaria parasites.

1973

Product introduction: Madopar, drug against Parkinson’s disease

Madopar, a medication against Parkinson’s disease, is introduced, providing great effectiveness with a high tolerability profile than any other drug working on trembling (tremor), rigidity (rigor), slowness and poverty of movements (akinesia) and other physical and mental symptoms.

1973

Product introduction: Abuscreen, diagnostics immunoassay for substance abuse detection

Abuscreen, an immunoassay for the detection of opium alkaloids, goes onto the market. Over the years this technology, developed at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, will be adapted for other substance abuse tests.

1974

Prix Galien for Madopar

The antiparkinson drug Madopar wins the Prix Galien, a prize created in 1970 in France to honour innovative and valuable advances in drug therapy. This is the first of a series of prizes for Roche therapeutics which have become milestones in drug therapy.

1975

First Production of Monoclonal Antibodies

In Cambridge, Georges Köhler and César Milstein produce monoclonal antibodies by fusing cancer cells with antibody-producing lymphocytes. Following Köhler return to the Basel Institute of Immunology in 1976, Roche makes great use of this new technique. Monoclonal antibodies are developed for use in diagnostic research and in isolating biologically interesting proteins – among them the interferon.

1975

Product introduction: Rohypnol, tranquilliser

Belonging to the class of benzodiazepines, Rohypnol is introduced for the management of insomnia and induction of anaesthesia.

1976

Accident at Icmesa's Seveso plant (Italy), subsidiary of Givaudan

A runaway chemical reaction occurs at Icmesa’s plant in Seveso (Italy), a subsidiary of Givaudan. An aerosol cloud containing a mixture of dioxin and other chemicals escapes from the factory, contaminating Seveso and several neighbouring communities. From the beginning Roche and Givaudan make every effort to redress the damage done. Both companies directly assist the authorities in dealing with the after-effects of the disaster, a task to take many years (Seveso - 30 Years After).

1977

Acquisition of Dr. R. Maag AG., agrochemistry and agrobiology company

Roche acquires the agrochemical company Dr. R. Maag AG in Dielsdorf, Switzerland. Agricultural research is done in the areas of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides