Roche reports 9-month sales figures

Swiss drug major Roche has posted a 6% increase in sales, by local currencies, for the first nine months of 2008, compared with the same period of the year before, as it confirmed it would pursue its bid for the remaining 44% of US biotechnology major Genentech that it does not already own.

Group sales fell to 33.31 billion Swiss francs ($28.94 billion) versus 33.95 billion francs. This was a 2% drop in francs, whereas in US dollars it was a 13% increase. This was due to a predicted sharp drop in sales of Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) to governments and companies for pandemic purposes. Excluding sales of the vaccine, revenue was $33.17 billion francs vs 32.55 billion francs, a 10% rise in local currencies.

Excluding sales of Tamiflu and in local currencies, the group's pharmaceuticals division revenue reported a similar 10% rise to 26.06 billion francs. This comprised: Roche Pharmaceuticals itself, also up 10% to 16.29 billion francs; Genentech, increasing 11% to 7.54 billion francs; and Japanese affiliate Chugai, which generated 2.23 billion francs, a 3% rise. By the same measures, the firm's diagnostics division jumped 11% to 7.11 billion francs.