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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 29 March 2007\line \line {\b Avastin 
approved in Europe for first line treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer} \line Breakthrough 
therapy offers women the chance to live twice as long without their cancer progressing\line \line Roche 
today announced that their innovative cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) has been approved in Europe 
for the treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer.\line \line The European 
Commission has approved Avastin for the first line treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer 
in combination with a standard chemotherapy paclitaxel (originally branded Taxol). The approval is based 
on pivotal Phase III trial data (E2100) which show that women with metastatic breast cancer have the 
chance to live twice as long without their cancer progressing if treated with Avastin plus paclitaxel 
compared to paclitaxel alone. \line \line "Today\u8217?s approval represents a significant 
advancement in breast cancer therapy,"said William M. Burns, CEO Division Roche Pharmaceuticals. 
"We are proud to launch this significant new treatment option. We will now work to ensure that 
Avastin is being made widely available to European physicians and patients with metastatic breast cancer 
as quickly as possible."\line \line David Cameron, medical oncologist, Lothian 
University Hospitals NHS Trust and Clinical Lead for the South East Scotland Cancer Research Network, 
welcomed the news: "It is devastating for a woman to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. 
Despite 
all the improvements in treatment that have already been made, the remarkable effect of Avastin in prolonging 
the time to progression of metastatic breast cancer will be welcomed by patients - this time gained 
is very precious."\line \line Each year more than one million new cases of 
breast 
cancer are diagnosed worldwide, resulting in over 400,000 deaths per year. Metastatic breast cancer 
is the number one cause of cancer death worldwide in women under the age of 55{\super 1} .\line \line Avastin 
is the first and only anti-angiogenic agent which has been shown to consistently deliver improved overall 
and/or progression-free survival benefit for colorectal, lung, breast and renal cell cancer patients.\line \line Additional 
phase III trials are ongoing to explore Avastin in the first line treatment of metastatic breast cancer 
in combination with docetaxel (AVADO) and other commonly used chemotherapies including Xeloda (RIBBON-1). 
Recently, a phase III 1st line trial (AVEREL) in HER2-positive breast cancer evaluating Avastin in combination 
with docetaxel plus Herceptin was initiated. \line \line In Europe, Avastin was 
approved in January 2005 and in the US in February 2004 for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic 
colorectal cancer. It received another approval in the US in June 2006 as a second-line treatment for 
patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Following priority review, the world\u8217?s first angiogenesis 
inhibitor was approved by the FDA in October 2006 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); 
a filing for the same indication was submitted to EU authorities in August 2006. Most recently (in February 
2007), a positive recommendation was received in Japan for the use of Avastin in patients with advanced 
or recurrent colorectal cancer.\line \line {\b About the E2100 study} \line Study 
E2100 was the first Phase III study set to evaluate Avastin in combination with paclitaxel versus paclitaxel 
alone for the first-line treatment of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. This 
randomised, controlled, multi-centre study enrolled 722 women. 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. The trial was designed to give Avastin 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 (13.3 months) while patients receiving 
paclitaxel alone had a median PFS of approximately 7 (6.7 months) months. PFS is a measure of the time 
patients live without their disease progressing. 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). 
Roche will submit OS data analysis during 2007 to EU regulatory authorities based on the all randomized 
patient population with a still to be defined cut-off date.\line \line Overall, 
in the E2100 study, Avastin in combination with paclitaxel was generally well tolerated and had a favourable 
safety profile 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). 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 the world\u8217?s 
biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, 
diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people\u8217?s 
health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, 
a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, 
inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 
33.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion Swiss francs. Roche 
employs roughly 75,000 worldwide 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 at 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 Additional 
information:} \line - Genentech (http://www.gene.com): www.gene.com \line - Roche 
in Oncology (http://www.roche.com/mboncology-e.pdf) \line - Roche Health Kiosk on cancer (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs)\line - 
Video clips, in broadcast standard, free of charge (http://www.thenewsmarket.com/)\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 1) 
Ferlay J, et al. Globocan 2002: Cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence worldwide, Version 2.0 (IARC, 
Cancerbase No. 5) Lyon, France, IARC Press, 2004\par}\line \line \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}
}