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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 23 December 2005\line \line {\b Roche 
grants Tamiflu sub-license to India\u8217?s Hetero Drugs to make flu medicine for India and developing countries} \line \line Roche 
today announced that it has granted a sub-license to the Indian company Hetero Drugs for the production 
of oseltamivir (Tamiflu), as part of continued efforts to increase and speed up availability of the 
medicine for influenza pandemic planning world wide. The agreement with Hetero is focused on providing 
oseltamivir for government pandemic use and will have an immediate effect on the availability in India 
and developing countries \u8211? both directly and through further agreements with local companies. \line \line David 
Reddy, Roche\u8217?s Pandemic Taskforce Leader, commented: \u8220?As a result of a period of intense production 
planning, we are pleased to announce the partnership with Hetero Drugs as the latest step in our scale-up 
efforts to meet the needs of governments in preparing for the potential public health threat posed by 
avian influenza. This is another demonstration of Roche\u8217?s commitment to working as a collaborative and 
responsible partner with governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist in pandemic planning\u8221?. 
\line \line Whilst Roche remains on schedule to meet the current orders received 
from over 50 governments, the collaboration with Hetero will enhance the supply of oseltamivir in some 
of the world\u8217?s poorest countries, resulting in earlier than anticipated delivery timelines and more 
capacity for further orders. Hetero is the first company that was identified to be able to speed up 
agreed delivery timelines in the first half of 2006. Following two and a half years of work, Hetero 
recently received approval to manufacture the medicine, have demonstrated that they meet the criteria 
which Roche defined in terms of technical ability, capacity and the speed of bringing that capacity 
on stream. \line \line \line With this agreement, Hetero is respecting 
Roche's and Gilead's intellectual property on Tamiflu in India. The medicine would never have been invented 
without strong patent systems in place. The recognition of intellectual property in India through this 
partnership with Hetero therefore is very significant as it respects the new Indian Patent legislation 
which came into effect on January 1, 2005.\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 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 3}  
\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:\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 38 percent reduction in the severity of 
symptoms{\super 1} \par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 67 percent 
reduction in secondary complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis in otherwise healthy 
individuals{\super 2} \par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 37 percent reduction in 
the duration of influenza illness{\super 5,3} \par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 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 4} \par}\line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 In 
children, Tamiflu delivers:\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 36 percent reduction 
in the severity and duration of influenza 
symptoms{\super 5} \par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 44 percent reduced incidence 
of associated otitis media 
as compared to standard 
care{\super 6} \par}\line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Tamiflu was invented 
by Gilead Sciences and licensed 
to Roche in 1996. Roche and Gilead partnered on clinical development, with Roche leading efforts to 
produce, register and bring the product to the markets. Under the terms of the companies\u8217? agreement, 
amended in November 2005, Gilead participates with Roche in the consideration of sub-licenses for the 
pandemic supply of Tamiflu in resource-limited countries. To ensure broader access to Tamiflu for all 
patients in need, Gilead has agreed to waive its right to full royalty payments for product sold under 
these sub-licenses.\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 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.\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 - About Hetero (http://www.heterodrugs.com)\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) 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) 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) 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) 
Whitely 
RJ, Hayden FG et al; Oral oseltamivir treatment of influenza in children, Pediatr Infect 
Dis J 2000; 20: 122-133\line 6) 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}
}