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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 19 October 2005 \line \line {\b Roche 
continues to post strong growth through third quarter\line \line } Release 
as PDF: \u160?English (http://www.roche.com/mr3q05e.pdf) 
\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?German (http://www.roche.com/mr3q05d.pdf) \u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?French (http://www.roche.com/mr3q05f.pdf) 
\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160?Spanish (http://www.roche.com/mr3q05sp.pdf)\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Presentation 
as PDF: English only (http://www.roche.com/irp3q05e.pdf)\line \par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 \line {\b Roche 
Group} \line \u8226? High growth rate of 17%* maintained in third quarter despite expiry of 
US Rocephin patent \line \u8226? Group sales for first nine months up 17% (+16% in Swiss francs)\line \u8226? 
Acquisition of GlycArt completed\line \line {\b Pharmaceuticals Division} \line \u8226? 
Sales growth remains strong at 22% (+20% in Swiss francs) \u8212? sales advance more than three times as fast 
as the market\line \u8226? Strong demand for cancer medicines; sales of Avastin already passed billion-franc 
mark; Tarceva launched in Europe\line \u8226? Tamiflu sales show further significant growth, driven 
by orders for pandemic readiness supplies\line \u8226? Bonviva launches under way in Europe\line \u8226? 
MabThera/Rituxan filed in US and EU for rheumatoid arthritis\line \u8226? Compelling data from several 
large clinical trials show Herceptin effective in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer\line \line {\b Diagnostics 
Division} \line \u8226? Sales growth in the third quarter accelerates by 2 percentage points 
to 6%\line \u8226? Nine-month sales up 4% (+4% in Swiss francs)\line \u8226? Molecular diagnostics, 
immunodiagnostics and diabetes care businesses post solid gains\line \u8226? Innovative new diabetes 
management products successfully launched in all major markets\line \u8226? World\u8217?s largest manufacturing 
facility for PCR-based products opened in Branchburg (USA)\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 * 
Unless otherwise stated, all percentage changes are period-over-period changes and are based on results 
in local currencies.\par}\line \line \line Commenting on 
the Group\u8217?s performance in the first nine months of 2005, Roche Chairman and CEO Franz B. Humer said, 
\u8216?Roche posted significant double-digit gains in the third quarter, maintaining the strong sales growth 
of the first half-year. Our Pharmaceuticals Division gained additional market share, with all major 
products contributing to this strong performance, particularly our new cancer medicines. Roche Diagnostics 
has now rolled out its new Accu-Chek products in all major markets, enhancing its competitive diabetes 
management portfolio. This helped accelerate divisional sales growth in the third quarter.\u8217?\line \line \line \line {\b Roche 
Group} \line \line 
		 20052004% Change% Change
	
		Sales from January to September1m CHFmCHFIn CHFIn local currencies
	
		Pharmaceuticals Division19,43416,132+20+22
	
		        Roche 12,16910,523+16+16
	
		        Genentech 4,6323,287+41+45
	
		        Chugai 2,6332,322+13+15
	
		Diagnostics Division6,0085,763+4+4
	
		Roche Group25,44221,895+16+17
	\line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 1 
See attachment to this release for details on quarterly sales growth.\par}\par}Roche 
posted sales of 25.4 billion Swiss francs in the first nine months of 2005, an increase of 17% (+16% 
in Swiss francs; +20% in US dollars) over the same period last year. The Group thus maintained the high 
growth rates reported for the first half-year. Nine-month sales in the Pharmaceuticals Division increased 
22% (+20% in Swiss francs), more than three times as fast as the global market. The Diagnostics Division 
maintained its leading market position with sales growth of 4% (+4% in Swiss francs).\line \line The 
GlycArt acquisition, completed in July, has strengthened Roche\u8217?s expertise in therapeutic antibody research 
and added new, cutting-edge technologies and products to Roche\u8217?s R&D organisation and pipeline. 
In September Roche was reselected as an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes 
(DJSI World) and Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Indexes (DJSI STOXX). In addition, Roche again met the 
FTSE4Good criteria, and thus continues to be a member of the FTSE4Good Index series.\line \line \line \line {\b Pharmaceuticals 
Division} \line \line The Pharmaceuticals Division achieved 
impressive growth in the first nine months of 2005, with sales up 22% in local currencies (+20% in Swiss 
francs; +24% in US dollars). Regional sales growth significantly outpaced the market average in each 
of the division\u8217?s major markets: North America, Europe and Japan. Growth was driven by continued strong 
demand for the division\u8217?s oncology products. The anti-influenza drug Tamiflu, which a number of governments 
are stockpiling as part of pandemic readiness programmes, also contributed to growth.\line \line {\b Oncology 
\u8211? continued strong sales growth} \line The division\u8217?s oncology portfolio achieved an outstanding 
growth of 37%, reinforcing Roche\u8217?s position as the world\u8217?s leading provider of cancer medications.\line \line {\b Significant 
Improvements in Survival from Cancer Therapies} \line \u160?{\pard
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl {\b Therapy}  \cell
\pard\intbl {\b Disease / Indication}  \cell
\pard\intbl {\b Benefit}  \cell
\row
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Avastin\par} \cell
\pard\intbl Metastatic Colorectal Cancer \cell
\pard\intbl 30% increase in median overall survival (Avastin+IFL chemotherapy vs. IFL) \cell
\row
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl Herceptin \cell
\pard\intbl HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer \cell
\pard\intbl 37% increase in median overall survival (Herceptin+docetaxel vs. docetaxel) \cell
\row
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl MabThera\u160?\u160?\u160?\u160? \cell
\pard\intbl Aggressive Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma \cell
\pard\intbl 22% increase in 5-year overall survival (MabThera+CHOP chemotherapy vs. CHOP) \cell
\row
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl Tarceva \cell
\pard\intbl Advanced Lung Cancer \cell
\pard\intbl 43% increase in median overall survival (Tarceva vs. placebo) \cell
\row
\trowd\trgaph100\cellx3200\cellx6400\cellx9600
\pard\intbl Xeloda \cell
\pard\intbl Metastatic Breast Cancer \cell
\pard\intbl 26% increase in median overall survival (Xeloda+docetaxel vs. docetaxel) \cell
\row
}\line \line Worldwide 
sales of Avastin, a new breakthrough in cancer therapy, totalled 1.1 billion Swiss francs. Indicated 
for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer, Avastin is being steadily 
rolled out in Europe and other countries. Recent phase III results have revealed Avastin\u8217?s benefits 
in other tumour types; for example, a survival advantage with the drug has been seen both in advanced 
non-small cell lung cancer and in metastatic breast cancer. Regulatory filings for these new indications 
are planned for next year. \line \line Sales of MabThera/Rituxan, for non-Hodgkin\u8217?s 
lymphoma (NHL), increased 22%, putting total nine-month sales over the 3-billion-franc mark. This strong 
growth was driven by the steady rise in prescriptions of the drug for indolent and aggressive NHL in 
Europe. During the third quarter Genentech and Biogen Idec submitted a filing to the FDA for use in 
aggressive NHL. Roche intends to submit a marketing application to the European authorities later this 
year for MabThera as maintenance therapy in indolent NHL.\line \line Herceptin, 
the only targeted treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer, posted significant sales growth in all 
key markets (+38%). Four large-scale phase III trials investigating Herceptin in patients with early-stage 
HER2-positive breast cancer have shown that adding Herceptin to chemotherapy significantly reduces the 
risk of cancer recurrence in this population. Roche plans to file for this new indication early next 
year.\line \line Xeloda sales achieved strong worldwide growth of 47%. Sales advanced 
impressively both in the United States (+64%) and in Europe/Rest of World (+39%), fuelled by recent 
US and EU approvals for the use of Xeloda for the adjuvant (post surgery) treatment of colon cancer.\line \line Sales 
of Tarceva, a novel targeted drug for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, reached 234 million Swiss 
francs in the United States after just 11 months on the US market. Tarceva received approval for this 
indication in the European Union in September, and the market roll-out there is already under way. In 
addition, the FDA has voted in favour of recommending approval of Tarceva for the treatment of advanced 
pancreatic cancer in previously untreated patients. A filing for the pancreatic cancer indication was 
recently submitted to EU regulators.\line \line {\b Anemia \u8212? leadership 
maintained} \line Combined sales of NeoRecormon and Epogin were up 7% with growth seen 
in both the renal and oncology indication. NeoRecormon sales for cancer-related anemia are expected 
to grow steadily, helped by continued uptake of the new once weekly pre-filled syringe. Sales will also 
be strengthened by a recent update of the product label, as a result of which NeoRecormon is now also 
indicated for the correction of anemia in patients with solid and lymphoid tumours receiving any form 
of chemotherapy.\line \line {\b Transplantation \u8212? CellCept number one 
worldwide} \line Thanks to strong, double-digit sales growth (+18%), CellCept remained 
the world\u8217?s top-selling branded immunosuppressant for use in transplantation. Sales were up by double 
digits in the United States, Europe and Japan.\line \line {\b Virology 
\u8212? Tamiflu sales surge forward} \line Worldwide sales of Tamiflu rose to 859 million Swiss 
francs, mainly as a result of increased orders for pandemic readiness supplies. Roche has donated 3 
million packs of Tamiflu to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for use as a rapid response stockpile 
in the event of an outbreak of a pandemic strain of influenza. The Group has already significantly expanded 
its Tamiflu production capacity several times, and Roche will continue to take action, both on its own 
and with a significant number of suppliers, to increase production capacity for Tamiflu to meet seasonal 
and pandemic needs.\line \line Sales of Pegasys, the market-leading pegylated interferon 
for hepatitis C, showed double-digit growth (+17%), with demand running especially strong in Europe/Rest 
of World (+24%) and Japan (+37%). Sales were driven primarily by three new indications approved over 
the course of this year: use in patients co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV, treatment of hepatitis 
B and treatment of hepatitis C in patients with normal liver enzymes. Pegasys is already approved for 
hepatitis B in over 50 countries \u8212? including the United States, the European Union and China. A Japanese 
filing for Pegasys plus Copegus in hepatitis C has been granted priority review status.\line \line Sales 
of the anti-HIV medicine Fuzeon were up significantly for the period, rising 49% to 178 million Swiss 
francs. This reflects the continued flow of impressive new efficacy data in treatment-experienced patients 
with HIV/AIDS.\line \line {\b Other major products \u8212? Bonviva approved 
for once monthly oral use in Europe} \line Bonviva/Boniva, the first once monthly oral 
bisphosphonate for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, was recently approved in the European 
Union and Switzerland. In the United States, where the product has been available since April, patient 
acceptance has been good, both among previously untreated women and among women switching to Boniva 
from other treatments.\line \line Global sales of Xenical grew 4%. The labelling 
for Xenical has been expanded to include clinical trial data on the use of the product in obese adolescents, 
making it the first and only weight loss medication in the United States and Europe to contain such 
information in the label. GlaxoSmithKline has filed with the FDA for approval of an OTC formulation 
of orlistat.\line \line Total Rocephin sales declined in line with expectations 
(-21%) following expiry of the US patent in July. Third-quarter sales were down more than 50% from the 
year before.\line \line {\b Major development activities in the third 
quarter \u8212? first filings in rheumatoid arthritis} \line The US and EU filings for MabThera/Rituxan 
in its first rheumatoid arthritis indication represent a significant milestone for the product. The 
filings are for use in patients who have failed to respond adequately to current biologic therapies 
\u8212? the rheumatoid arthritis patients most difficult to treat. Positive outcomes have also been seen in 
clinical trials with patients who had previously failed treatment with one or more disease-modifying 
anti-rheumatic drugs.\line \line Development of Actemra (formerly known as MRA) 
for rheumatoid arthritis is progressing well. Data from a phase III programme in Japan will be presented 
later this year, and patient recruitment for international phase III trials in rheumatoid arthritis 
is proceeding as planned.\line \line \line \line {\b Diagnostics 
Division} \line \line {\b Sales growth in line with 
the market} \line In the first nine months of 2005 Roche Diagnostics posted sales of 6 
billion Swiss francs, an increase of 4% (+4% in Swiss francs; +7% in US dollars) over the year-earlier 
period. Third-quarter sales growth accelerated to 6%. Molecular diagnostics, immunodiagnostics and diabetes 
care continue to be the main contributors of growth. Sales in Japan showed a high single-digit increase, 
while growth in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) was in the mid single digits, slightly 
above the market average. The division posted double-digit gains in Asia\u8211?Pacific and Iberia/Latin America, 
outpacing the market in both regions. Substantial investments were made in ongoing product launches 
in the United States, where the new Accu-Chek Aviva device has been very well received by the market.\line \line {\b Diabetes 
Care \u8211? new portfolio rolled out} \line Roche Diabetes Care posted sales growth of 4%. 
The global launch of Accu-Chek Aviva was successfully completed. The new Accu-Chek Spirit insulin pump 
is now available in 21 countries and accounts for 40% of all Roche insulin pump sales.\line \line {\b Near 
Patient Testing \u8212? strong growth in coagulation monitoring segment} \line Roche Near Patient 
Testing reported overall sales growth of 4%. In the coagulation business, growth was well into the double 
digits, while the Cardiac Reader segment posted high single-digit gains. The Roche Cardiac proBNP test 
was launched worldwide for use on the Cardiac Reader, making it the first point-of-care NT proBNP assay 
for heart failure to reach the market. Cardiac Reader placements were up 6% from the previous year, 
and during the first nine months the 10,000th Cardiac Reader was manufactured. In the blood gas/electrolyte 
analyser segment, Roche Diagnostics placed 65% more Roche Omni S instruments than during the same period 
last year.\line \line {\b Centralized Diagnostics \u8212? growth above the market} \line Sales 
by Roche Centralized Diagnostics increased 5% in a market estimated to be growing at a rate of 3%. This 
dynamic performance was driven mainly by a record number of placements of Cobas Integra and Elecsys 
systems (+23% and +29%, respectively). Thanks to Elecsys proBNP, Roche Diagnostics is now the number-one 
supplier of cardiac biomarker assays. This brings Roche another step closer to its goal of achieving 
market leadership in immunodiagnostics.\line \line {\b Molecular Diagnostics 
\u8212? market leadership maintained} \line Roche Molecular Diagnostics maintained its leading 
market share of over 40%, as sales rose 6%. This business area\u8217?s largest segments, virology and blood 
screening, continued to grow in line with the market. The new automated virology systems and real-time 
PCR-based tests have been well received in European markets, where they were recently launched. In the 
blood screening segment, Roche received FDA clearance for a new hepatitis B test for screening organ 
and tissue donations. Roche\u8217?s established blood screening tests remain the market leaders, providing 
a strong platform for future launches of the highly automated blood screening systems currently in development 
at Roche.\line \line At its Branchburg site (USA), Roche opened the world\u8217?s largest 
PCR production facility in July to meet the rising demand for its PCR-based products.\line \line {\b Applied 
Science \u8212? market position stabilised} \line Roche Applied Science consolidated its position 
(+1%) in an increasingly competitive market. The launch of a new ultra-fast nanotechnology-based DNA 
sequencing system at the end of September and the new LightCycler 480 DNA amplification system in early 
October will significantly reinforce Roche Applied Science\u8217?s position as a provider of superior bioanalytical 
systems.\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. 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. Additional information 
about the Roche Group is available on the Internet at www.roche.com (http://www.roche.com).\line \line Annex (http://www.roche.com/mr3q05ane.pdf)\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 All 
trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.\par}\line \line \line Additional 
information\line - Full-year report for 2005: 1 February 2006\line \line \line {\i Disclaimer\line This 
release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be identified 
by words such as \u8220?believes\u8221?, \u8220?expects\u8221?, \u8220?anticipates\u8221?, \u8220?projects\u8221?, \u8220?intends\u8221?, \u8220?should\u8221?, \u8220?seeks\u8221?, \u8220?estimates\u8221?, 
\u8220?future\u8221? or similar expressions or by discussion of strategy, goals, plans or intentions. Various factors 
may cause actual results to differ materially in the future from those reflected in forward-looking 
statements contained in this presentation among others: (1) pricing and product initiatives of competitors; 
(2) legislative and regulatory developments and economic conditions; (3) delay or inability in obtaining 
regulatory approvals or bringing products to market; (4) fluctuations in currency exchange rates and 
general financial market conditions; (5) uncertainties in the discovery, development or marketing of 
new products or new uses of existing products; (6) increased government pricing pressures; (7) interruptions 
in production; (8) loss of or inability to obtain adequate protection for intellectual property rights; 
(9) litigation; (10) loss of key executives or other employees; and (11) adverse publicity or news coverage.} 
{\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}
}