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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 25 November 2005\line \line {\b Roche 
confirms ability to supply pandemic Tamiflu to the people of Taiwan} \line \line Fallback 
on compulsory license will be unnecessary as agreed delivery timelines will be met by Roche\line \line Roche 
received the announcement that the Taiwanese government would issue a compulsory license for use only 
if Roche could not meet the requested delivery timelines for the pandemic order with surprise. Roche 
met with the Taiwanese government earlier this week and committed to supply the required Tamiflu order 
according to mutually agreed delivery timelines. \line \line Roche confirms it will 
provide Taiwan with an additional 1.3 million treatments of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) next year, taking 
the total treatments of Tamiflu ordered for pandemic use in the country to 2.3 million treatments. This 
will be used to safeguard the public health of citizens in Taiwan in the event of an influenza pandemic. 
Roche\u8217?s ability to meet the needs of Taiwan has been made possible due to a global scale-up effort that 
has been underway at Roche since 2004, resulting in a production output by the end of 2006 of 300 million 
treatments a year. \line \line In addition, during a recent visit to Taiwan, members 
of Roche reviewed the manufacturing capabilities of a local company with a view to issuing a voluntary 
license to produce Tamiflu for local pandemic use. As a result of this review, it was clear that the 
local company could not produce the drug more rapidly or at lower cost than Roche.\line \line \u8220?We 
are confident that we will be in a position to deliver the quantities of Tamiflu requested by the Taiwanese 
Government in the required timelines. Therefore, the possibility of a compulsory license being invoked 
is unnecessary\u8221?, commented David Reddy, Roche Pandemic Task Force Leader.\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, based on mathematical modeling, could contain 
or stop the spread of a potential pandemic at the source of the outbreak.\line \line {\b Potential 
licensing terms} \line Roche is looking to identify companies who can contribute to manufacturing 
scale-up to increase global availability for pandemic use without negatively affecting Roche\u8217?s own production 
capability. \line These are:\line - Companies that can contribute to critical manufacturing 
steps such as bio- fermentation, azide chemistry, and combined alcohol granulation/capsule filling. 
These companies could become potential toll manufacturers. \line - Companies that believe 
they can fully produce Tamiflu in substantial quantities. Such companies would become either contract 
manufacturers and be able to produce Tamiflu via the approved Roche process with the help of technology 
transfer or will be issued with sub-licenses or de-blocking licenses.\line Commercial terms 
regarding these agreements have not currently been finalized but are of secondary importance to ensuring 
adequate and timely supply of Tamiflu for pandemic use.\line \line {\b About 
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) } \line Tamiflu, which was originated by Gilead Sciences, California, 
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 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{\super {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 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 
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.\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/)\line \line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 1 
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}\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}
}