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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
Basel, 7 November 2005\line \line {\b Roche announces further 
progress in Tamiflu production expansion} \line \line Roche\u8217?s current production 
network on track to produce 300 million treatments as of 2007\line Over 150 requests received 
from third parties - first negotiations initiated\line \line Roche announces today 
that it will have increased its own production capacity by the end of 2006 to then be in a position 
to produce 300 million treatments of Tamiflu annually. The expansion will be achieved by a further stepwise 
scale-up of Roche\u8217?s production network. It means a ten fold increase over the capacity in 2004 when 
the decision was taken to increase production, without any firm pandemic orders in place, in order to 
meet government\u8217?s needs for pandemic planning. \line \line William M. Burns, CEO 
Division Roche Pharma, commented: \u8220?Patients\u8217? needs in case of a pandemic remain our top priority. We 
have continually increased our production capacities and are now putting in place the means to increase 
production of Tamiflu to 300 million treatments as of 2007. In addition, we have entered into discussions 
with a number of interested parties to expand world wide supply, so governments can be as prepared as 
possible for when the influenza pandemic happens.\u8221? \line \line More than 150 requests 
from third parties have been received to date and Roche production experts have already been in initial 
talks with 8 companies, amongst them large generic manufacturers and major pharmaceutical companies, 
as well as with a number of governments, including Taiwan and Vietnam. The goal is to be in a position 
to select potential partners for more detailed discussions by the end of November. Selection criteria 
are quality, technical ability, capacity and the speed of bringing that capacity on stream. \line \line {\b About 
pandemic planning} \line Roche has been working with many governments over the last few 
years to determine their needs for stockpiling of Tamiflu and has received and/or fulfilled orders from 
around 50 countries. \line Roche has also pledged to donate 3 million treatments to the WHO 
for use where an influenza pandemic may start. This amount, according to experts, could contain or stop 
the spread of a potential pandemic at the source of the outbreak, if delivered rapidly. \line Recently 
Roche has donated Tamiflu to Turkey and Romania, following the emergence of the avian influenza virus 
in these countries\line \line {\b About Tamiflu (oseltamivir) } \line Tamiflu 
is designed to be active against all clinically relevant influenza viruses and key international research 
groups have demonstrated, using animal models of influenza that Tamiflu is effective against the avian 
H5N1 strain circulating in the Far East.{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 3\par}} \line \line It 
works by blocking the action of the neuraminidase (NAI) enzyme on the surface of the virus. When neuraminidase 
is inhibited, the virus is not able to spread to and infect other cells in the body.\line \line Tamiflu 
delivers:\line \u8226? 38 percent reduction in the severity of symptoms{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 1\par}} \line \u8226? 
67 percent reduction in secondary complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis in otherwise 
healthy individuals{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 2\par}}  \line \u8226? 
37 percent reduction in the duration of influenza illness{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 {\super 5,3} \par}\line \u8226? 
Tamiflu was shown to provide up to 89 percent overall protective efficacy against 
clinical influenza in adults and adolescents who had been in close contact with influenza-infected patients{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 4\par}}  
\line \line In children, Tamiflu delivers:\line \u8226? 36 percent reduction 
in the severity 
and duration of influenza symptoms{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 5\par}}  \line \u8226? 
44 percent reduced incidence of associated otitis 
media as compared to standard care{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 6\par}}  \line \line As 
with any antiviral, a theoretical potential exists for an influenza virus to emerge with decreased sensitivity 
to a drug. Extensive monitoring, by Roche and the independently established Neuraminidase Inhibitor 
Susceptibility Network (NISN) measured the incidence of resistance to NAIs. From around 4000 patients 
treated with Tamiflu resistance was encountered in 0.4 per cent in adults and 4 per cent in children 
aged one to 12. This resistant virus was found to be less virulent than the wild type virus and did 
not affect the course of the illness.\line \line The greatest use of Tamiflu today 
is in Japan. To illustrate this, there were an estimated 16 million influenza infections in Japan over 
the 2004/2005 influenza season. Roche estimates that around 6 million of those individuals infected 
with the influenza virus received Tamiflu. Even with this degree of usage, resistance appears very infrequent. 
\line \line {\b Avian Influenza and Pandemics} \line Most 
avian influenza viruses are not infectious to humans, but, should an avian and a human influenza virus 
co-infect a human or a pig, the virus strains can join, mutate and create a completely new virus, which 
may be transmissible from animals to humans, and from humans to humans. Such a strain would be entirely 
new in composition, so vaccines developed and administered to date to protect humans during seasonal 
epidemics, would be ineffective against this new strain, leaving the population vulnerable to infection. 
Experts believe the next influenza pandemic could result from such a mutation of virus strains.\line \line {\b World 
Health Organisation} \line The WHO has recommended as part of its Pandemic Preparedness 
Plan that countries establish stockpiles of antiviral treatments such as Tamiflu, which are effective 
against all strains of the influenza virus. The Pandemic Preparedness Plan, along with details of the 
15 countries that have implemented national plans, can be viewed on the Internet (http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/influenza/WHO_CDS_CSR_EDC_99_1/en/).\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 totalled 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. Additional information about the Roche Group is 
available on the Internet (www.roche.com (http://www.roche.com)).\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 All 
trademarks 
used or mentioned in this release are legally protected.\line \par}\line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 1 
\u160?Treanor JJ et al. Efficacy and safety of the oral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in treating 
acute influenza: a randomized, controlled trial. JAMA 2000;283: 1016\u8211?24\line 2 \u160?Kaiser 
et al. Impact of Oseltamivir treatment on influenza-related lower respiratory tract complications and 
hospitalisations. Arch Intern Med. 163:1667-1672 (2003)\line 3 \u160?Nicholson KG et al. Efficacy 
and safety of oseltamivir in treatment of acute influenza: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2000; 
355:1845\u8211?1850\line 4 \u160?Welliver R. W. et al. Effectiveness of oseltamivir in preventing 
influenza in household contacts: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 2001 Feb 14; 285(6): 748-754\line 5 
\u160?Whitely RJ, Hayden FG et al; Oral oseltamivir treatment of influenza in children, Pediatr Infect 
Dis J 2000; 20: 122-133\line 6 \u160?Roche data on file, 2003\par}\line \line {\b Additional 
information} \line - Roche Health-Kiosk, Influenza (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_grip.htm)\line - 
About Tamiflu (http://www.roche.com/med_mbtamiflu05e.pdf)\line - About influenza (http://www.roche.com/med_mbinfluenza05e.pdf)\line - 
WHO: Global influenza programme (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/en/)\line - WHO: Avian flu (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/)
{\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}
}