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{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 12 April 2005\line \line {\b Roche 
and GlaxoSmithKline announce promotion agreement for Xenical in the US} \line \line Roche 
and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK Consumer Healthcare) announced today that they have signed 
a promotion agreement for the prescription weight loss medication Xenical (orlistat) in the US. The 
agreement allows GSK Consumer Healthcare to detail and promote Xenical Rx in the US and GSK Consumer 
Healthcare medical sales representatives will begin meeting with doctors later this week to review clinical 
data showing the benefit of treating patients with Xenical.\line \line \u8220?Our relationship 
with GSK is longstanding, and we are pleased to expand it further through the co-promotion of Xenical,\u8221? 
commented Peter Hug, Head of Roche Pharma Partnering. \u8220?Through partnering, we have taken a highly effective 
Roche medicine and added GSK\u8217?s OTC sales force, one of the strongest in the industry, to be competitive 
in a challenging market. Roche and GSK have a history of collaboration, a current agreement being the 
co-promotion of Boniva (ibandronate) for the management of osteoporosis.\u8221? \line \line \u8220?This 
is a great opportunity for GSK Consumer Healthcare. In July 2004, we also acquired the rights to orlistat 
over-the-counter (OTC) in the US. This new agreement enables us to get hands-on experience promoting 
prescription Xenical while we prepare our application to the FDA for an OTC version,\u8221? commented George 
Quesnelle, President, GSK Consumer Healthcare North America. \u8220?Excess weight is a major healthcare threat 
among Americans and, as it is now recognized as a disease, we are hopeful that many more overweight 
and obese people will seek medical help,\u8221? he concluded. \line \line {\b Terms 
of the agreement} \line Under the terms of the agreement GSK obtains the exclusive right 
to detail and promote Xenical Rx in the US. The terms of the agreement remain confidential. This agreement 
is only valid in the US and does not affect any other market. Roche will continue to manufacture and 
invoice Xenical.\line \line {\b About Xenical} \line Xenical 
is the number one prescription weight loss medication worldwide that has a unique mode of action. It 
works locally in the gut to prevent dietary fat absorption by around 30 percent and effectively promotes 
weight loss. It is the most extensively studied pharmacological weight management treatment to date, 
with over 30,000 overweight or obese patients participating in clinical trials with Xenical, including 
the 4 year landmark XENDOS study. It is an effective therapy that not only helps patients lose weight, 
but also helps them maintain their weight loss. \line \line {\b About 
Obesity} \line According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 
2 out of 3 US adults are overweight or obese, suggesting that roughly 129 million people are at increased 
risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some forms of cancer, and other disabling medical 
conditions.\line \line {\b About Roche-GSK collaborations} \line Roche 
and GSK were one of the first to adopt co-promotion in the US in the 1980\u8217?s with Zantac. In July 2004, 
the parties entered into a licencing agreement for orlistat OTC in the US. In addition to expanding 
this relationship to include Xenical Rx in the US, the parties are co-promoting Boniva for the treatment 
of osteoporosis\line \line {\b About Roche} \line Headquartered 
in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world\u8217?s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the 
fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the 
early detection, 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 is a world leader in diagnostics, 
the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 
2004 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 21.7 billion Swiss francs, while the Diagnostics 
Division posted sales of 7.8 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries 
and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership 
interests in Genentech and Chugai.\line \line {\b About GlaxoSmithKline 
Consumer Healthcare} \line GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world\u8217?s largest 
over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include 
the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette and NicoDerm, as well as many medicine cabinet staples, 
Abreva, Aquafresh, Sensodyne and Tums.\line \line {\b About GlaxoSmithKline} \line GlaxoSmithKline 
\u8211? one of the world\u8217?s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies \u8211? is committed to 
improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 All 
trademarks used or mentioned in this release are legally protected.\par}\line \line {\b Further 
information:} \line - Roche (http://www.roche.com): www.roche.com\line - GSK (http://www.gsk.com): 
www.gsk.com\line - Xenical (http://www.managingyourweight.com): www.managingyourweight.com\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}
}