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{\pard\sa900\fs50\f0\i Media Release\par}
{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 23 October 2007\line \line {\b Roche 
Considering Legal Options In Patent Litigation Case\line \line } Roche 
announced today that a jury in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts found in favour of Amgen in 
the patent infringement dispute relating to the Roche erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, MIRCERA. Roche 
is currently evaluating its legal options, including the possibility of an appeal. \line \line Roche 
maintains its position that all of Amgen\u8217?s patents for epoetin asserted against Roche are invalid and 
not infringed, and believes the facts and the law support that position. \line \line \u8220?The 
verdict is disappointing because in the end, it is U.S. patients with chronic kidney disease who lose. 
Amgen has had an extended monopoly for the last 20 years in the U.S. blocking new therapeutic options 
to treat anaemia from being introduced,\u8221? said William M. Burns, CEO of the Pharma Division at Roche.\line \line MIRCERA 
is currently awaiting FDA approval which is expected on November 14th . MIRCERA was already approved 
in July in the European Union and in Switzerland and Norway in September. MIRCERA has been recently 
launched in Austria, Sweden, Germany and the UK. Studies with MIRCERA have shown that the treatment 
corrected and maintained haemogloblin levels as well as existing ESAs but with fewer injections than 
currently available erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) {\super 1} .  One of the pivotal studies from its Phase III program was just published in The Lancet {\super 2} . 
\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 A{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs18 ll 
trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.\line \line 1) 
In the EU, for patients not currently treated with an erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA), the recommended 
starting dose is 0.6 microgram/kg body weight, administered once every two weeks as a single intravenous 
or subcutaneous injection in order to increase the haemoglobin to greater than 11 g/dl (6.83 mmol/l). 
Patients currently treated with an ESA can be converted to MIRCERA administered once a month as a single 
intravenous or subcutaneous injection. The starting dose of methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta 
is based on the calculated previous weekly dose of darbepoetin alfa or epoetin at the time of substitution. 
Summary of Product Characteristics for MIRCERA in the EU, www.emea.europa.eu (http://www.emea.europa.eu). Darbepoetin 
alfa in the correction phase, the initial dose by subcutaneous or intravenous administration is 0.45 
\u956?g/kg body weight, as a single injection once weekly. Alternatively, in patients not on dialysis, an 
initial dose of 0.75 \u956?g/kg may be administered subcutaneously as a single injection once every two weeks. 
In the maintenance phase, Aranesp may continue to be administered as a single injection once weekly 
or once every two weeks. In patients not on dialysis, once the target haemoglobin has been achieved 
with once every two week dosing, Aranesp may be administered subcutaneously once monthly using an initial 
dose equal to twice the previous once every two week dose. In the US, darbepoetin alfa The recommended 
starting dose of Aranesp\u174? for the correction of anemia in adult CRF patients is 0.45 mcg/kg body weight, 
administered as a single IV or SC injection once weekly. Because of individual variability, doses should 
be titrated to achieve and maintain the lowest hemoglobin level sufficient to avoid the need for RBC 
transfusion and not to exceed 12 g/dL \line The use of Aranesp\u174? in pediatric CRF patients 
as the initial treatment to correct anemia has not been studied. In the maintenance phase Aranesp\u174? dosage 
should be adjusted to maintain the lowest hemoglobin level sufficient to avoid the need for RBC transfusion 
and not to exceed 12 g/dL. Doses must be individualized to ensure that hemoglobin is maintained at an 
appropriate level for each patient (see Dose Adjustment). For many patients, the appropriate maintenance 
dose will be lower than the starting dose. Predialysis patients, in particular, may require lower maintenance 
doses. Some patients have been treated successfully with a SC dose of Aranesp\u174? administered once every 
2 weeks.\line \line 2) Levin NW. Intravenous methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin 
beta for haemoglobin control in patients with chronic kidney disease who are on dialysis: a randomized 
non-inferiority trial (MAXIMA). The Lancet; 370: 1415-1421.\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}
}