R & D Overview

Roche believes that finding innovative solutions for serious medical problems is what being a healthcare company is all about. Our people strive to create clinically differentiated drugs and diagnostics to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Two research-intensive businesses – pharmaceuticals and diagnostics – devote their resources to work on medical problems in areas of significant unmet needs, where Roche has the expertise to make a difference.

The R&D organisation in Pharma – which is committed to shaping the future of medicine by creating clinically-differentiated therapies – is built around five Disease Biology Areas (DBAs):

• Oncology
• Virology
• Inflammation
• Metabolism
• Central Nervous System

The DBAs are responsible for selecting and managing compounds from drug discovery through to medical proof-of-concept (normally in phase II of clinical development).

A dedicated interface with the Diagnostics Division ensures diagnostics input throughout the drug development process.

Roche’s Diagnostics Division is a world leader in in vitro diagnostics: products used to test blood and other body fluids and tissues to obtain information for the early detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment monitoring of diseases. The division also supplies state-of-the-art instruments and reagents for life science research and is organised in 5 business areas:

• Roche Applied Science
• Roche Molecular Diagnostics
• Roche Diabetes Care
• Roche Professional Diagnostics
• Roche Tissue Diagnostics

Roche Diagnostics has R&D facilities in Europe and the United States, augmented by a network of alliances and partnerships giving it broad access to key technologies.

Innovation requires perseverance and a long-term perspective.

That is why we spent more than 8.4 billion Swiss francs on it in 2007, and why in the coming years we will continue to increase our R&D budget.

Today, biopharmaceuticals account for over half of Group sales, and Roche is a leader in Biotechnology. Biotechnology has opened up completely new approaches to diagnosing and treating disease, particularly cancer.