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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 22 September 2006\line \line {\b First 
Technology Transfers from Roche to enable local production of HIV medicine for Africa\line } \line \u8226? 
Free of charge technology transfers to three companies in Africa - South Africa\u8217?s Aspen, Cosmos 
and Universal Corporation in Kenya\line \u8226? A further 22 companies across 14 countries are 
interested in Roche AIDS Technology Transfer Initiative\line \line Roche today announced 
a transfer of technology to three African companies; South Africa\u8217?s Aspen Pharmacare, Kenya\u8217?s Cosmos 
Limited and Universal Corporation Limited. Roche will provide these companies free of charge with the 
technical expertise to manufacture generic HIV medicine, based upon the processes to produce saquinavir, 
Roche\u8217?s 2nd line{\super 1}  \u160?HIV medicine. The companies will be able to produce 
saquinavir for supply throughout Kenya and South Africa in addition to any country within sub-Saharan 
Africa or defined as Least Developed by the United Nations, encompassing 64% of all people living with 
HIV globally. These agreements are the first in a series of planned Technology Transfers, announced 
in January 2006.\line \line As part of the agreement Roche has committed to work 
onsite at the manufacturing facilities in Kenya and South Africa and from its headquarters in Switzerland 
to undertake the technology transfers. The dedicated Roche team is fully operational and since the initial 
announcement has generated interest from 25 companies from 14 countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe 
and Nigeria. Roche is working with these individual applicants to assess production over the coming 
weeks.\line \line William M. Burns, CEO Division Roche Pharmaceuticals, stated, 
\u8220?When announcing this initiative, Roche reaffirmed its commitment to constantly innovate our approach 
to addressing the challenges of HIV/AIDS treatment, particularly helping those people living in the 
poorest and hardest hit countries. From the interest and number of responses we have received, we know 
that it has the potential to make a real difference to help those who most need it.\u8221?\line \line \u8220?We 
welcome the commitment from these companies to produce their own quality generic versions of saquinavir. 
The technical assistance from Roche should help strengthen and extend their manufacturing abilities 
for quality medicines. It is both encouraging and heartening that local African manufacturers are taking 
steps to increase their capacity to produce and provide HIV medicines locally. People with HIV/AIDS 
living in sub-Saharan Africa have limited treatment options, and whilst there has been increased access 
to first-line therapy, it is vital that they are able to access and have a secure supply of second-line 
treatments, such as saquinavir, that are included within our WHO treatment guidelines,\u8221? commented Lembit 
R\u228?go, Coordinator of Quality Assurance and Safety of Medicines at WHO.\line \line As 
access to first line treatment in Africa continues to increase, the need for second line treatments 
will grow in parallel. As a result, increasing manufacturing knowledge and capacity for saquinavir within 
these regions could play a vital role in treatment delivery. Saquinavir, boosted with ritonavir, is 
recommended by the World Health Organization as one of three second line treatments in resource-limited 
settings.\line \line {\b About Roche\u8217?s Technology Transfer Initiative} \line Announced 
in January 2006, the Roche Technology Transfer Initiative aims to provide local manufacturers with the 
technical expertise required to produce generic HIV medicines. Manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and 
the Least Developed Countries wishing to produce generic saquinavir for use in these countries will 
not be required to apply for a voluntary licence, as Roche has committed as part of its global policy 
not to enforce patents on HIV antiretroviral medicines within these countries. Interested manufacturers 
should contact the Project Manager, Technology Transfer Initiative at the Roche Kenya office: 
info.aidstechtransfer@roche.com (mailto://info.aidstechtransfer@roche.com).\line \line {\b About 
the countries invited} \line Interested local manufacturers in the following countries 
are invited to contact Roche to discuss the Technology Transfer Initiative: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, 
Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, C\u244?te d\u8217?Ivoire, Cape Verde, 
Central African Republic, Chad Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, 
Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People\u8217?s Democratic 
Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, 
Namibia, Nigeria Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles Senegal, Sierra Leone, 
Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, 
Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia Zimbabwe.\line \line {\b About 
Roche\u8217?s patent and pricing policy} \line In addition to its Technology Transfer Initiative, 
Roche will maintain its current pricing and patent policy for the developing world. No patents for any 
of Roche medicines \u8211? across all disease areas \u8211? will be filed in the world\u8217?s Least Developed Countries 
(LDCs), as defined by the UN. Roche will not file patents on new HIV/AIDS medicines in Least Developed 
Countries or sub-Saharan Africa. Roche will not take action in these countries against the sale or manufacture 
of generic versions of antretroviral medicines. Generic versions of such HIV medicines can therefore 
be produced in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa without the need for a voluntary or compulsory licence. Roche 
makes its HIV protease inhibitors Invirase and Viracept available at no profit prices for direct supplies 
from Roche Basel to LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa.\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 protected by law.\par}\line \line \line {\b Further 
information} \line - Roche & HIV/AIDS (http://www.roche-hiv.com)\line - 
Access to Roche\u8217?s medicines\line \line  (http://www.who.int/3by5/publications/documents/arv_guidelines/en){\super 1} WHO 
treatment guidelines for resource limited settings (http://www.who.int/3by5/publications/documents/arv_guidelines/en) 
\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}
}