{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf949\cocoasubrtf430
{\fonttbl\f0\froman\fcharset0 TimesNewRomanPSMT;\f1\fswiss\fcharset0 ArialMT;}
{\margl1800\margr1600\margt500\margbl1440}
{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 24 August 2007\line \line \line {\b Avastin 
approved 
in Europe for first-line treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer} \line First 
medicine 
shown to extend survival beyond one year in previously untreated lung cancer patients \line \line Avastin 
(bevacizumab), Roche\u8217?s innovative anti-cancer drug, was approved today in Europe for the first-line 
treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in combination with platinum-based 
chemotherapy. \line \line NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer, a difficult 
to treat disease that kills over 3,000 people per day worldwide{\super 1} . NSCLC is 
usually diagnosed at an advanced 
stage, meaning individuals diagnosed with the disease typically have a life expectancy of only 8 to 
10 months.{\super 2,3}  \u160?Avastin is the only first-line therapy to demonstrate 
improved survival benefits 
beyond one year in patients with advanced NSCLC.\line \line \u8220?Today\u8217?s approval represents 
a massive breakthrough for the treatment of individuals with advanced lung cancer,\u8221? said William M. 
Burns, CEO of Roche\u8217?s Pharmaceuticals Division. \u8220?We will continue to work with European authorities 
to make Avastin available to as many patients with NSCLC as possible.\u8221?\line \line The 
approval is based on data from the pivotal US phase III trial (E4599) and the \u8216?Avastin in Lung\u8217? (AVAiL) 
phase III trial. Both studies demonstrate that Avastin is effective for the treatment of patients with 
NSCLC in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy. The approval is for the use of Avastin at a dose 
of 7.5 or 15 mg/kg, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of 
patients with unresectable advanced, metastatic or recurrent NSCLC other than predominantly squamous 
cell histology. The broad label that Avastin has received for the treatment of NSCLC allows the combination 
of Avastin with any platinum-based chemotherapy regimens (for example, together with taxanes or gemcitabine) 
at the choice of the physician.\line \line Professor Christian Manegold, Professor 
of Medicine at Heidelberg University, University Medical Center Mannheim, Germany and Principal Investigator 
of the AVAiL trial, was enthusiastic about the news: \u8220?Lung cancer is an extremely difficult disease 
to treat and Avastin has proven that it can prolong the life of patients with NSCLC. A treatment like 
Avastin that breaks through the one year survival barrier is a big step forward. The European approval 
for Avastin means we can reassess our expectations for lung cancer patient survival.\u8221?\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 for patients with colorectal, lung, breast and kidney cancer.\line \line {\b About 
the Phase III studies that formed the basis of the approval} \line \line {\b E4599 
study} \line The 
results of the randomised, controlled, multicentre phase III E4599 study of 878 patients with locally 
advanced, metastatic or recurrent NSCLC, with histology other than predominant squamous cell, show that 
median survival of patients treated with Avastin at a dose of 15 mg/kg every three weeks plus chemotherapy 
was 12.3 months, compared to 10.3 months for patients treated with chemotherapy alone. \u160?Patients 
receiving Avastin in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin had a 25% improvement in overall survival 
compared to patients who received chemotherapy alone. Side effects were generally manageable. Pulmonary 
haemorrhage/ haemoptysis cases were observed in 2.3% of the patients receiving Avastin plus chemotherapy. 
The most common adverse events associated with Avastin therapy were: hypertension (5.6%), proteinuria 
(4.2%), fatigue (5.1%) and dyspnoea (5.6%).{\super 4}  \line \line {\b AVAiL 
study} \line In 
the double-blind, randomised, controlled, phase III AVAiL study, patients received treatment with either 
Avastin at 7.5mg/kg or 15mg/kg + cisplatin/gemcitabine or placebo + cisplatin/gemcitabine. \u160?The 
study involved more than 1,000 patients world-wide with previously untreated advanced NSCLC, with histology 
other than predominant squamous cell. \u160?The results show that by adding Avastin to a cisplatin/gemcitabine 
regimen progression-free survival was significantly prolonged by 20 to 30% compared with chemotherapy 
alone. \u160?No new or unexpected adverse events were observed. \u160?\line \line {\b About 
Lung Cancer} \line According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer is the 
leading 
cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, {\super 5}  responsible for 19.7% 
of all cancer deaths.{\super 6}  
Lung cancer is the single biggest cancer killer in Europe, claiming 334,800 lives in 2006.{\super 6}  
\u160?World-wide, 
there are more than 1.2 million new cases of lung and bronchial cancer diagnosed each year,{\super 5}  
\u160?and 
new treatment options are urgently needed as the disease has a very high mortality rate. \line \line NSCLC 
is the most common form of the disease and accounts for more than 80% of all lung cancers.{\super 7}  
The majority 
of NSCLC cases are still diagnosed at an advanced stage when the cancer is inoperable or has already 
spread to another part of the body. In spite of the use of chemotherapy as the first-line treatment 
option, less than 5% of people with advanced NSCLC survive for 5 years after diagnosis, and most patients 
with metastases to other organs die within 6 months.{\super 7} \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 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 metastatic colorectal cancer. The world\u8217?s first angiogenesis 
inhibitor was approved by the FDA for the treatment of NSCLC in October 2006, following priority review. 
Most recently in March 2007, Avastin was approved in Europe for the first-line treatment of women with 
metastatic breast cancer and in April in Japan for use in advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer.\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, 
and others) and different settings (advanced and adjuvant i.e. 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 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, metabolic disorders and diseases of the 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 has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including 
majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invests approximately 7 billion Swiss francs 
a year in R&D. Worldwide, the Group employs about 75,000 people. Additional information 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 {\b Additional 
information} \line - Roche in Oncology (http://www.roche.com/pages/downloads/company/pdf/mboncology05e_b.pdf) \line - Roche 
Health Kiosk, Cancer (http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs)\line - Avastin\line \line  (http://www.avastin-info.com)\line To 
access video clips about Avastin, in broadcast standard, free of charge, please go to: www.thenewsmarket.com (http://www.thenewsmarket.com/roche).\line \line {\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 \line References\line 1. 
Kamangar F, et al. Patterns of cancer incidence, mortality, and prevalence across five continents: defining 
priorities to reduce cancer disparities in different geographic regions of the world. J Clin Oncol 2006; 
24(14): 2137-50.\line 2. Schiller JH, et al. Comparison of four chemotherapy regimens for 
advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med 2002;346:92-8.\line 3. Sandler A, et al. 
Paclitaxel-Carboplatin Alone or with Bevacizumab for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2006:355; 
2542-50\line 4. Data on file. Roche, 2006\line 5. Stewart BW and Kleihues P. World 
Cancer Report. IARC Press, Lyon, pp.183-7, 2003\line 6. Ferlay J, et al. Estimates of the 
cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006. Annals of Oncology. 2007; 18: 581-92.\line 7. 
Wilking N and Jonsson B. A Pan-European comparison regarding patient access to cancer drugs. Karolinska 
Institute in collaboration with Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, 2005.\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}
}