Roche Enters New Product Phase With Bright Prospects

Roche gave an update on its product pipeline to analysts on February 4,who responded positively (see page 3). Highlighted at the meeting were the company's new wave of products, which are and will be reaching the market between 1996 and 2000.

The already-approved CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) for transplant rejection and HIV protease inhibitor Invirase (saquinavir) will be instrumental in driving growth over the next few years. Genghis Lloyd-Harris and Vikram Sahu of Credit Suisse First Boston have predicted five-year sales of 500 million Swiss francs ($350 million) and 400 million francs, respectively.

CellCept could benefit from use in other transplants aside from kidney (see table page 25) and for rheumatoid arthritis, as well as a general growth in the immunosuppressant market, which could accelerate drastically if animal to human transplantation is adopted (Marketletters passim). Invirase's potential lies with its lack of cross-resistance with other protease inhibitors, which makes it a useful addition to combination regimens for controlling HIV infection.