We have developed patent
and pricing policies that have significantly improved access to all our
products and especially HIV medicines, in the poorer countries that are home to around 87% of all people
living with HIV/AIDS. These are designed to find a sustainable balance between: - Offering
our HIV medicines at the lowest possible price in poor countries in critical need, and
- Funding
research and development into treatments for diseases that are still incurable, such as Alzheimer’s
disease, diabetes, many cancers and HIV/AIDS.
Roche’s
patent policy
Patents are society’s way of promoting innovation and encouraging
progress
in all industries. Creating innovative healthcare solutions through research and development is fundamental
to our business. Clinical research is a costly and lengthy process, at an estimated 1 billion Swiss
francs per drug and an average development time of 12-15 years. With so much investment required, and
only one in every 1,000 compounds making it to the final testing stage, developing new medicines is
a high-risk business.
As a result, pharmaceutical companies register
patents on new drugs
to protect their intellectual property. By being the sole manufacturer of a medicine for a limited period,
companies can generate revenue from sales and recoup some of the substantial cost of development. However,
patents are normally registered when a molecule is in early development, which may be many years before
a drug reaches a patient. As a result, the length of time from approval when development costs can be
recouped is around 8-12 years.
After the patent expires, the intellectual
property related
to the drug is publicly available and the drug can freely be produced by any interested manufacturer.
This is another way that innovative healthcare companies can give something back to society.
Further
information about Patents and the Roche Global Patent Function (PDF)
Roche’s
patent policy in LDCs and SSA
We understand that patents can be one of
the many barriers to basic medical care in poor countries. This is why we do not file for new patents
on any Roche medicines, for any disease, in the least developed countries (LDCs) defined by the United
Nations (UN). Nor do we enforce existing patents in these countries. This means generic versions of
any Roche medicine can be produced and distributed in the LDCs without applying for a licence.
Not
all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the region hardest-hit by HIV/AIDS, are defined as LDCs. Our policy
is not to file patents on any new antiretroviral treatments for HIV/AIDS in the hardest hit region,
sub-Saharan Africa, or enforce existing patents. Through our Technology Transfer Initiative,
we also help manufacturers in these countries to produce generic versions of our HIV medication.
Tackling
counterfeits
Counterfeit medicines and diagnostic products often look
identical to authentic versions and are difficult to detect, particularly for patients. Counterfeit
products do not just breach intellectual property rights - such as patent laws, trademarks, copyright,
and regulator data protection - they are also a serious danger to human health. They can cause serious
illness or death if they contain harmful ingredients or deprive patients of proper treatment.
Trafficking
in counterfeit medicines and diagnostic products is widespread and affects both developing and developed
countries.
The World Health Organisation published guidelines in 1999
on preventing and controlling drug counterfeits. Responsibility for this lies primarily with national
governments and international organisations. Roche cooperates at both the national and the international
level with regulators, police and customs officials. Our internal Anti-Counterfeiting Policy outlines
what we do to prevent counterfeiting. Read our Global Statement on Counterfeiting
for more detail.
Roche’s
pricing policies
Roche’s pricing policies are designed to provide sustainable
access to medicines around the globe.
The cost of medicines and diagnostics
is one of many barriers to treatment in the world’s poorest countries. Pharmaceutical companies are
often criticised for the prices they charge compared with generic versions. Research-based healthcare
companies like Roche have to cover the costs of discovering and developing the products, plus the costs
of the many research projects that fail. Without recovering these costs through our pricing, we can’t
fund research into new drugs and continue the fight against disease. However, through our no profit
approach to two key HIV medicines, we are able to offer prices similar to or below those of generic
medicines.
Price cuts alone are not enough to solve crises such as the
HIV/AIDS pandemic. There are many other hurdles to be overcome to increase access to medicines in poorer
countries, such as the lack of functioning healthcare systems and trained health professionals. Hence,
Roche has established a variety of different programs to tackle issues such as basic infrastructure,
education and medical training. Click here to find out more.
Pricing
policy for HIV/AIDS treatments
We supply our protease inhibitors Invirase (saquinavir)
and Viracept (nelfinavir) at no-profit prices to the least developed countries defined by the United
Nations and all of sub-Saharan Africa. This covers 63 countries, which are home to 64% of all people
living with HIV/AIDS. These are the lowest prices at which the medicines can viably be sold in the long
term and do not reflect research or development costs, marketing costs, distribution costs or company
overheads.
We also supply the drugs at reduced prices in countries defined
by the World Bank as low- or lower middle-income, where HIV/AIDS is a growing problem. In total, 87%
of people living with HIV/AIDS live in countries eligible for reduced-priced Roche HIV medicines. We
review our no-profit prices for HIV medicines annually and adjust them when necessary.
Details
of prices, eligible countries and conditions are available at www.roche-hiv.com.
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