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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 15 December 2006\par}{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 {\b Tarceva 
receives positive EU opinion for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer } \line \line Roche 
announced today that its oral cancer medicine Tarceva (erlotinib) has received a positive recommendation 
from the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) following a re-examination of 
the data supporting the filing of Tarceva in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Tarceva is the first treatment 
in over a decade to have shown a significant survival benefit in patients with this devastating disease 
where the five year survival rate has not changed in decades and remains at less than five percent{\super 1, 
2.}  \line \line Tarceva has already been approved by the American Food and 
Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2005 and in a further 15 countries around the world for the first-line 
treatment of patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer, in combination 
with gemcitabine chemotherapy. \line \line "News of the CHMP opinion will be 
welcomed by pancreatic cancer patients across the EU as it widens previously limited treatment options," 
said Eduard Holdener, Head of Global Drug Development. "The success of Tarceva in combination with 
gemcitabine chemotherapy is an important step forward in the struggle against this devastating disease."\line \line Both 
the non-EU and the EU applications were based on data from the Phase III study (PA3{\super )3}  
which show that treatment with Tarceva plus gemcitabine results in significantly longer survival (22 
percent) compared to gemcitabine alone. In addition, a higher percentage of patients were alive at 12 
months in the group treated with Tarceva plus gemcitabine, compared to those treated with chemotherapy 
alone (24 percent v. 19 percent). \line \line Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most 
frequently occurring cancer in Europe{\super 4} . In 2002, there were more than 78,000 
new cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed in Europe, with a death rate of approximately 82,000 people 
per year{\super 5} . Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat, as it is often resistant 
to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and tends to spread quickly to other parts of the body \u8211? leading to 
its high mortality and short life expectancy. Tarceva is the first treatment for many years to have 
shown a significant survival benefit in patients with pancreatic cancer.\line \line {\b About 
the PA3{\super 3}  study} \line The results of the double-blind, placebo-controlled 
Phase III study conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Clinical Trials Group at Queens 
University and involving 569 patients showed:\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - Treatment 
with Tarceva plus gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer resulted in significantly 
improved overall survival compared to gemcitabine alone (22%)\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - 24% 
of patients receiving Tarceva plus gemcitabine were alive after one year, compared to 19% on gemcitabine 
alone\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - Patients receiving Tarceva plus gemcitabine experienced significantly 
longer progression-free survival of 30%\par}{\pard\f0\li440\ri0\sl360\fs22 - Tarceva plus gemcitabine 
was well tolerated by patients\par}\line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 As a result of this 
study, Tarceva plus gemcitabine has been approved for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer in 
15 countries including America and Australia. \line \line {\b About Tarceva} \line Tarceva 
(erlotinib) is a small molecule that targets the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER1) pathway. 
HER1, also known as EGFR, is a key component of this signalling pathway, which plays a role in the formation 
and growth of numerous cancers. Tarceva blocks tumour cell growth by inhibiting the tyrosine kinase 
activity of the HER1 signalling pathway inside the cell. \line \line Taken as an 
oral, once-daily therapy, Tarceva is the only EGFR-inhibitor to have demonstrated a survival benefit 
in lung cancer \u8211? a very impressive 42.5%. Currently most lung cancer patients are treated with chemotherapy 
which can be very debilitating due to its toxic nature. Tarceva works differently to chemotherapy by 
specifically targeting tumour cells, and avoids the typical side-effects of chemotherapy.\line \line Tarceva 
is approved in the US and across the European Union for patients with locally advanced or metastatic 
non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen.\line Tarceva 
has been approved by the FDA since November 2, 2005 for treatment of locally advanced, inoperable, unresectable 
or metastatic pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine chemotherapy.\line \line Tarceva 
is currently being evaluated in an extensive clinical development programme by a global alliance among 
OSI Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and Roche, focussing on earlier stages of NSCLC. Additionally, Tarceva 
is being studied in combination with Avastin in NSCLC. Trials are also being conducted with Tarceva 
in other solid tumours, such as ovarian, bronchioloalveolar (BAC), colorectal, pancreatic, head and 
neck and glioma (brain).\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 For 
further information about:\line - Genentech (http://www.gene.com)\line - OSI 
Pharmaceuticals (http://www.osip.com)\line - Cancer (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs)\line - Roche 
in Oncology (http://www.roche.com/mboncology-e.pdf)\line \line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 References:\line 1) 
Steward, B W and Kleihues, P. 2003. World Cancer Report. World Health Organisation and the International 
Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC Press/Lyon, p248\line 2) Khosravi Shahi P et al. 2005, 
Aug. Pancreatic cancer: therapeutic update. Anales de medna interna, 22(8):390-4\line 3) 
Moore MJ, Goldstein D, Hamm J, et al. Erlotinib plus gemcitabine compared to gemcitabine alone in patients 
with advanced pancreatic cancer. A Phase III trial of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical 
Trials Group [NCIC-CTG]. (Abstract #1, ASCO 2005) \line 4) De Braud F, Cascinu S, Gatta G. 
2004, May. Cancer of Pancreas. Critical reviews in oncology/hematology, 50(2):147-55\line 5) 
Ferlay J et al. GLOBOCAN 2002: Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide. IARC CancerBase 
No. 5, Version 2.0, Lyon; IARC Press 2004\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}
}