{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf949\cocoasubrtf430
{\fonttbl\f0\froman\fcharset0 TimesNewRomanPSMT;\f1\fswiss\fcharset0 ArialMT;}
{\margl1800\margr1600\margt500\margbl1440}
{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 6 April 2004 \line \line {\b Roche's 
Annual General Meeting 2004} \line Seventeenth consecutive annual dividend increase - 
AGM bids farewell to Fritz Gerber - Bruno Gehrig and Lodewijk J.R. de Vink elected as new members of 
the Board\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 The Annual General Meeting of Roche Holding Ltd 
was attended by 592 shareholders representing 147,822,220 or 92,39 percent, of a total of 160,000,000 
shares. The Meeting approved the 2003 annual report and financial statements and authorised payment 
of an annual dividend for 2003 of 1.65 Swiss francs per share and non-voting equity security, an increase 
of 14 percent over the previous year. This is Roche\u8217?s seventeenth consecutive dividend increase.\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 In 
his address to shareholders, Chairman and CEO Franz B. Humer summed up the year as follows: \u8220?We achieved 
our ambitious goals in 2003. Our core pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses grew faster than their 
respective markets, increasing their sales at a double-digit rate of 19 percent in local currencies 
to 29.0 billion Swiss francs. Operating profit before exceptional items once again outpaced sales growth, 
with a 25% rise in local currencies to 6.1 billion Swiss francs. Moreover, we have continued to strengthen 
Roche\u8217?s financial position and have further enhanced corporate governance.\u8221?\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Humer 
went on to say that Roche\u8217?s good performance in 2003 confirmed that its clearly defined strategy of 
focusing on the highly innovative pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses as an independent company 
was on track. \u8220?Furthermore, we firmly believe that long-term business success is possible only through 
a policy of economic, social and environmental sustainability. Our new Sustainability Report underlines 
our commitment in this area.\u8221?\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 As had already been announced, 
the 2004 Annual General Meeting was marked by a number of changes to the membership of the Board of 
Directors. Fritz Gerber, Andres F. Leuenberger and Henri B. Meier all stepped down as of today\u8217?s Meeting. 
Humer thanked all three gentlemen on the shareholders\u8217? behalf for their significant contributions to 
Roche\u8217?s success over the past decades. As Chairman of the Board from 1978 and CEO for many years, Gerber 
played a key role in shaping the direction and remarkable success of the company. He remains Honorary 
Chairman of Roche.\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 The shareholders elected Bruno Gehrig 
and Lodewijk J.R. de Vink as new Board members. Before taking up his current position as Chairman of 
the Board of Directors of Swiss Life Holding, Bruno Gehrig was Vice-Chairman of the Governing Board 
of the Swiss National Bank, which he joined in 1996. From 1992 to 1996 he was Professor of Business 
Economics at the University of St Gallen. Gehrig will assume the newly created function of Independent 
Lead Director. Lodewijk J. R. de Vink is a founding member and consultant of Blackstone Healthcare Partners. 
As a former President of Schering International and Chairman, President and CEO of Warner-Lambert, de 
Vink has many years of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry.\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Board 
members Walter Frey and Andreas Oeri, whose four-year terms of office ended today, were re-elected. 
Finally, the shareholders elected KPMG as the new Group Auditors and Statutory Auditors of Roche Holding 
Ltd.\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 {\b About Roche} \line Headquartered 
in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world\u8217?s leading innovation-driven healthcare groups. Its 
core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is number one in the global diagnostics market, 
the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for cancer and a leader in virology and transplantation. As 
a supplier of products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group 
contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people\u8217?s health and quality of life. Roche employs 
roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries. The Group has alliances and R&D agreements with numerous 
partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai.\par}
{\pard \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 {\b F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd}\line 4070 Basel\line Switzerland \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 Corporate Communications\line Roche Group Media Relations \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 Tel. +41 61 688 88 88\line Fax +41 61 688 27 75\line www.roche.com \par}
}