Roche raise sales expectations
pharmafile | May 12, 2005 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
Roche has raised its full-year sales forecast after strong first quarter results saw the Swiss company outperform a number of its rivals.
Impressive sales of the company's cancer drugs and a leap in demand for anti-influenza drug Tamiflu were the primary drivers behind the more optimistic outlook.
The upbeat forecast comes in spite of the loss of US patent later this year on Rochephin, one of the company's top 10 drugs.
Roche recorded sales of CHF8.1 billion in the first quarter, an increase of 17% from first quarter 2004, and has predicted drug sales will grow at a double-digit rate, above the industry average.
Tamiflu sales quadrupled to CHF424 million during the first quarter, with a number of counties stockpiling the drug in response to warnings of an influenza pandemic. In Japan alone, sales of Tamiflu totalled CHF260 million while countries, like the US and UK, plan to purchase enough to treat between 20% and 25% of their populations – a further boost for future sales.
Avastin, Roche's colorectal cancer drug marketed with Genentech in the US, registered sales of CHF260 million. Encouragingly, the drug has hit the CHF1 billion sales mark for the year and has shown promising trial results for lung and breast cancer. It is expected to be filed in the US and Europe for the treatment of NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) in the first half of 2006.
Tarceva, Roche's other novel cancer drug, recorded sales of CHF57 million after its approval in the US late last year. The EMEA is expected to make an announcement on its European approval later this year.
Roche will be hoping that Boniva, its once-monthly treatment for osteoporosis, will be another key driver of future growth. The drug was approved by the FDA in March with a European approval expected later this year.
Roche's chairman Franz Humer, commenting on the results, said: "Sales advanced by a very strong 17%, extending the record of success our Group has sustained in recent years. And at the same time our product development activities are setting the stage for future growth."
Along with encouraging data for Tarceva and Avastin, recent data has indicated that MabThera/Rituxan, a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treatment, could also be effective combating rheumatoid arthritis.
Related articles:
Avastin partners boosted by lung cancer data
Thursday , March 17, 2005
