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Roche Media Relations

Did you know that...

  • Roche’s focus is the search for innovative new medicines and diagnostics by funding and conducting R&D into serious and life-threatening diseases, investing over 9 bn Swiss francs in 2009.

  • Almost 270,000 people took part in our clinical trials globally in 2009, receiving access to the latest treatments for cancer, arthritis and other diseases?

  • Roche forges partnerships with governments and other healthcare providers because medicines and diagnostics are only one component of the healthcare puzzle?

  • The CARE programme which in partnership with PharmAccess Foundation established HIV treatment programmes across Africa and educational events reaching over 600 healthcare professionals in 29 countries across Africa and Asia?

  • The Phelophepa Health Care Train is a mobile clinic bringing medical care to rural South Africa, reaching out to people who have no access to basic medical services?

  • Each year, the Phelophepa Health Care Train delivers health care to more than 45,000 rural South Africans in regions where there is just one doctor for every 4,000 patients.

  • The Roche Children’s Walk has enabled 3,000 children from 60 villages in Malawi to receive hot meals, health check-ups and education at day centres.

  • AIDS Technology Transfer Initiative, launched in 2006 shares, the knowledge Roche has developed to manufacture saquinavir with local manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries free of charge?

  • Since 2002, we have supplied our HIV/AIDS medicines, Invirase and Viracept, at no profit prices for people living in Least Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa?

  • Our no profit, no patent policies for Roche’s HIV medicines apply to 70% of all people with HIV/AIDS worldwide?

  • Our Employee Secondment Policy enables our employees to contribute their skills and transfer their expertise to health related projects primarily in the world’s Least Developed Countries?

  • As announced in April 2010, Roche and the International Atomic Energy Agency have launched a joint initiative called EDUCARE to provide oncology training and education to healthcare workers in Africa. The intiative is a response to rapidly growing cancer rates in Africa and will be tailored to the region’s specific needs.

  • Roche has trained apprentices since the 1950's and every year in Basel alone some 300 young people are trained in 14 different professions?

  • more than 140 nationalities are represented at Roche?

  • in 2009 Roche invested around 2.16 million hours in skills training and education, or nearly 26 hours per employee?

  • People from over 70 countries – from Australia to Uruguay to South Africa – work for Roche in Switzerland?

  • In 2009 more than one-third of all Roche managers were women.

  • Interesting works of art decorate work and recreation areas as well as corridors in Roche buildings all over the world?

  • Roche has been an active patron of contemporary art and cultural projects since its beginnings in 1896 ?

  • Roche has had a corporate architecture before it had its own corporate design?

  • In 1926, 30-year old Alice Keller took over a position at Roche Tokyo to come back in 1939 as a director?

  • Roche is still majority owned by the descendants of the founder family?

  • Roche is a valued partner to more than 80 companies worldwide to bring new complementary technologies and potential products into the company?

  • Roche in 2009 has been rated as the new Super Sector Leader in Healthcare on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, placing Roche as the most sustainable healthcare company worldwide?

  • Patients can access Roche products through doctors, hospitals, laboratories and pharmacies in roughly 180 countries?

  • Roche is the world's biggest producer of biopharmaceuticals?

  • Roche produces more than 150 medicines in thousands of presentations around the world?

  • Roche is the only company that brought 5 cancer treatments with proven survival benefits to patients?

  • Each day about 7000 scientists work for Roche on developing new medicines?

  • Roche spends each day around 23 million Swiss Francs on Research & Development?

  • Roche has opened new research and development centers in China in 2004 and 2007? However Roche started its business in China much earlier by founding the subsidiary 'Hoffmann-La Roche Limited Company Shanghai' already in 1935

  • Roche invests in stem cell research, one of the most promising approaches in developing new treatments for e.g. autoimmune, CNS diseases?

  • Roche accounts for 9% of total Swiss expenditures on research and development? That’s one in every 11 Swiss Francs spent on research and development in Switzerland.

  • It takes around 7 million hours of work to discover and develop one medicine

  • It takes around 6587 experiments to discover and develop one medicine

  • Discovering and developing a new medicine costs over 1 billion Swss francs, with additional costs after the medicine goes on the market.

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