Fast-growing Roche leads pharma sector
pharmafile | February 7, 2007 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
Roche has unveiled record-breaking profits for 2006, driven by pharma sales that grew by more than three times the market rate.
With sales up 17% and profits that rose 34%, the results look set to make Roche the best performing major pharma company in 2006.
The Swiss company has now outperformed the global pharmaceuticals market in every quarter for the last four years and chief executive Franz Humer said the sales increases represented exceptionally strong organic growth from the company.
"With our broad portfolio of innovative products and strong R&D pipeline, we are equipped to continue growing well ahead of the market and creating value for patients, our employees and our shareholders in the years ahead," he said.
Overall, Roche made profits of 9.2 billion Swiss francs ($7.4 billion) on sales of 42 billion Swiss francs ($34 billion).
Pharma sales increased by 21% to 33.3 billion Swiss francs ($27 billion) in 2006, led by cancer drugs Herceptin, Avastin and MabThera, flu treatment Tamiflu and Bonviva for osteoporosis.
Herceptin, in particular, saw very strong growth. Worldwide sales of the drug doubled, aided by approval from European regulators and NICE for an early breast cancer indication.
The Herceptin approval was one of 14 the company received during the year and, with an additional licence being for the drug in advanced breast cancer in combination with hormonal treatments, it was also one of 13 new marketing applications Roche filed in 2006.
There were also approvals for Avastin in lung cancer and MabThera in rheumatoid arthritis and the first regulatory filing for Mircera, a new once-monthly anaemia drug.
Phase III trial data shows dialysis patients can be successfully switched to Mircera from other medicines that need administration up to three times a week – the first time such a switch has been possible.
In addition to Mircera, the company has another 100 clinical projects in its R&D pipeline, including 48 new molecular entities and 53 additional indications.
These include two potential rheumatoid arthritis treatments – Actemra, which is in phase III trials and ocrelizumab, which enters phase III trials later this year.
