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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
Basel, 4 June 2007\line \line {\b Investigational cancer drug 
Pertuzumab shows promising results in advanced breast cancer when combined with Herceptin } \line Phase 
III development initiated\line \line Early clinical results from 
Roche\u8217?s trial of the exciting new cancer medicine pertuzumab, a HER dimerisation inhibitor, show substantial 
anti-tumour activity in patients with pre-treated HER2 positive breast cancer, when combined with Herceptin. 
The study showed that one in five patients responded to pertuzumab treatment and one in five also had 
stabilization of their disease lasting 6 months or more. The results are particularly promising, as 
the benefits were seen in patients with late stage cancer, whose options for further treatment are limited.\line \line "This 
is potentially good news for patients whose HER2 positive breast cancer is not responding to current 
treatments," commented Dr Jose Baselga, lead investigator, Vall d\u8217?Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, 
Spain. "We are encouraged by the initial results from this trial and are continuing to further 
recruit 
patients into the second stage of the study."\line \line The phase II study 
presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Chicago, investigated 
the combination of two of Roche\u8217?s HER2 targeted agents, pertuzumab and Herceptin, in patients with HER2 
positive metastatic breast cancer whose disease had progressed during treatment with Herceptin plus 
chemotherapy{\super 1} . \line \line Pertuzumab is the first in 
a new innovative class of 
targeted agents known as HER dimerization inhibitors (HDIs). The drug inhibits the \u8216?pairing\u8217? or dimerization 
of the protein HER2 with other HER family receptors (HER1, HER2, HER3, and HER4). This interaction is 
believed to play an important role in the growth and formation of several different cancer types. Pertuzumab 
in combination adds to the activity of Herceptin due to its different mode of action. \line  
"The positive results from this study have enabled us to make the decision to progress to phase 
III 
development of pertuzumab in breast cancer," commented Jean-Jacques Garaud, Head of Development, 
Roche. 
"We will be investigating the effectiveness of pertuzumab in the metastatic setting and also exploring 
its use in early breast cancer prior to surgical removal of the tumour."\line \line {\b About 
the study} \line This is a non-randomised Phase II study, conducted in two-stages: patients 
were assessed to ensure that the therapy is tolerable and that there is a reasonable minimum level of 
activity. Eligible patients must have measurable, centrally-tested progressive HER2 positive breast 
cancer and had received up to 3 courses of prior chemotherapy plus Herceptin and the disease must have 
progressed during Herceptin therapy . During the study patients received Herceptin i.v weekly or every 
3 weeks at 2 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg respectively and 420mg of pertuzumab i.v. every 3 weeks after a loading 
dose of 840mg. The criteria to proceed to the 2nd stage were: > 2 partial responses (PR), or 1 PR 
and 12 patients with stable disease (SD), or 13 patients with SD. \line \line Out 
of 33 patients who had passed the first assessment point at the time of the data cut off, 1 had a complete 
response and 5 had partial responses giving a response rate of 18.2%. A further 7 patients have had 
stabilization of disease lasting 6 months or more (21.2%). Recruitment into stage 2 of the trial is 
ongoing. \line \line As well as evaluating pertuzumab in breast cancer Roche and 
Genentech are evaluating pertuzumab in ovarian cancer in combination with other therapies. Results from 
a phase II platinum resistant ovarian cancer study will be presented at ASCO on Sunday 3rd June 1-4pm. 
\line \line {\b About breast cancer } \line Breast cancer 
is the most common cancer among women worldwide{\super 2} . Each year more than one 
million new cases of breast 
cancer are diagnosed worldwide, and nearly 400,000 people will die of the disease annually. In HER2-positive 
breast cancer, increased quantities of the HER2 protein are present on the surface of the tumour cells. 
This is known as \u8216?HER2-positivity.\u8217? High levels of HER2 are present in a particularly aggressive form 
of the disease which responds poorly to chemotherapy. Research shows that HER2-positivity affects approximately 
20-30 percent of women with breast cancer. \line \line {\b About pertuzumab} \line Pertuzumab 
is a humanized monoclonal antibody designed to bind to the HER2 receptor and \line inhibit 
the ability of HER2 to interact with other HER family members (HER1, HER2, HER3, and \line HER4) 
on the surface of cancer cells. The HER signaling pathway plays a role in the formation and growth of 
numerous cancers, and previous clinical trials of pertuzumab in a single agent setting had suggested 
clinical activity - including stable disease - in heavily pretreated patients with advanced ovarian 
and breast cancers. Genentech and Roche are evaluating pertuzumab in solid tumors (ovarian and breast 
cancers), and in combination with other therapies. \line \line {\b About 
Herceptin (trastuzumab) } \line Herceptin is a humanised antibody, designed to target 
and block the function of HER2, a protein produced by a specific gene with cancer-causing potential. 
It has demonstrated efficacy in treating both early and advanced (metastatic) breast cancer. Given on 
its own as monotherapy as well as in combination with or following standard chemotherapy, Herceptin 
has been shown to improve response rates, disease-free survival and overall survival while maintaining 
quality of life in women with HER2-positive breast cancer.\line \line Herceptin 
received approval for use in the European Union for advanced (metastatic) HER2-positive breast cancer 
in 2000 and for early HER2-positive breast cancer in 2006. In the advanced setting, Herceptin is now 
approved for use as a first-line therapy in combination with paclitaxel where anthracyclines are unsuitable, 
as first-line therapy in combination with docetaxel, and as a single agent in third-line therapy. In 
May 2007, Herceptin received European approval for use in combination with anastrazole for the treatment 
of women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer that is also hormone receptor positive.\line \line In 
the early setting, Herceptin is approved for use following standard (adjuvant) chemotherapy. Herceptin 
is marketed in the United States by Genentech, in Japan by Chugai and internationally by Roche. Since 
1998, Herceptin has been used to treat nearly 400,000 HER2-positive breast cancer 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 in-vitro 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 \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 - Roche's Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.roche-trials.com)\line - 
About 
Genentech (http://www.gene.com)\line - About 
cancer (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs)\line - Roche in Oncology (http://www.roche.com/pages/downloads/company/pdf/mboncology05e.pdf)\line \line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 {\b References} \line 1) 
Baselga 
J. et al., Objective response rate in a Phase II multicenter trial of pertuzumab (P), a HER2 dimerization 
inhibiting monoclonal antibody, in combination with trastuzumab (T) in patients (Pts) with HER2 positive 
metastatic breast cancer (MBC) which had progressed during trastuzumab therapy \line Abstract 
1004. American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting 2007.\line 2) World Health Organization, 
http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/ \par}
{\pard \par}
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{\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}
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