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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
Basel, 10 July 2006 \line \line {\b Avastin filed in Europe 
for first-line treatment of women with advanced breast cancer\line } \line Breakthrough 
therapy doubles the time women live without their breast cancer progressing\line \line Roche 
announced today that it has submitted a Marketing Authorisation application to the European Medicines 
Agency (EMEA) for the use of its innovative new cancer drug Avastin in previously untreated advanced 
(metastatic) breast cancer. The filing is based on impressive Phase III trial data which show that the 
addition of Avastin to standard chemotherapy as a primary treatment for advanced breast cancer doubled 
the time women lived without their disease advancing, compared to chemotherapy alone. This is remarkable 
and the first Phase III study involving an anti-angiogenic agent to report positive outcome for patients 
with advanced breast cancer.\line \line \u8220?Breast cancer is a devastating disease 
and is the leading cause of cancer death in women in Europe, affecting more than one in ten women. Avastin 
has shown excellent progression-free survival data in treating the disease,\u8221? says Eduard Holdener, Head 
of Roche Pharmaceuticals Development. \u8220?The filing is an important milestone, demonstrating that anti-angiogenic 
therapy is changing the way that cancer is treated. It is a further step forward for Avastin to become 
part of the treatment armamentarium for a whole range of tumour types.\u8221?\line \line After 
colorectal and lung cancer, breast cancer is the third type of cancer in which the anti-angiogenic agent 
Avastin has demonstrated significant survival benefit. Roche plans to file Avastin in Europe later this 
year in advanced NSCLC, the most common form of lung cancer, as well as to broaden the current label 
in metastatic colorectal cancer. In Europe, Avastin was approved in early 2005 and in the US in February 
2004 for first-line treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. It received another approval 
in the US in June 2006 as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced colorectal cancer. In addition, 
Avastin was filed in April this year in the US for NSCLC. The first filing for Avastin in Japan occurred 
the same month for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Most recently in May 2006 Avastin was 
filed in the US for the treatment of women with advanced breast cancer.\line \line {\b About 
the E2100 study} \line This is the first Phase III study to evaluate Avastin in combination 
with chemotherapy for first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer. This randomised, controlled, 
multi-centre study enrolled 722 women with previously untreated metastatic breast cancer. The study 
was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and 
conducted by a network of researchers led by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). The patients 
were randomised to receive treatment with paclitaxel with or without Avastin. Avastin was given at a 
dose of 10mg/kg every two weeks until disease progression. The results showed that patients receiving 
Avastin plus paclitaxel had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of more than a year while patients 
receiving paclitaxel alone had a median PFS of approximately six months. Overall in the trial, patients 
treated with Avastin plus paclitaxel had a 52 percent reduction in the risk of disease progression or 
death, as expressed by a hazard ratio of 0.48 (1-0.48=0.52 or 52%), which is also identical to doubling 
PFS (1/0.48= ~2). Overall survival data for this trial are currently immature. \line \line Patients 
with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were not enrolled in the study unless they had received 
prior treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) or were unable to receive treatment with Herceptin. \line \line Overall, 
Avastin was safe and well tolerated in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer at 
the recommended dose of 10 mg/kg every two weeks. \line \line {\b About 
Avastin} \line Avastin is the first treatment that inhibits angiogenesis \u8211? the growth 
of a network of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to cancerous tissues. Avastin targets 
a naturally occurring protein called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), a key mediator of angiogenesis, 
thus choking off the blood supply that is essential for the growth of the tumour and its spread throughout 
the body (metastasis).\line \line Roche and Genentech are pursuing a comprehensive 
clinical programme investigating the use of Avastin in various tumour types (including colorectal, breast, 
lung, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cell carcinoma, prostate and others) and different settings 
(advanced and adjuvant ie post-operation). The total development programme is expected to include over 
40,000 patients worldwide \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 2005 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 27.3 billion Swiss 
francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.2 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 
70,000 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 \line \par}{\b Additional 
information} \line - Roche in Oncology (http://www.roche.com/mboncology-e.pdf)\line - 
Cancer (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs)\line 
{\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}
}