Roche announces ‘outstanding’ financial results

Roche has announced its financial results for the 2006 fiscal year, reporting an increase in sales it claims outpaces the market average. The company generated a 17 per cent increase in group sales, reaching CHF 42 billion (17.2 billion pounds).

The company reported a 34 per cent increase in net income, rising to CHF 9.2 billion, with the operating profit margin rising two per cent to 27.9 per cent.

In its pharmaceuticals unit, sales rose by 21 per cent, while operating profit margins rose 4.1 per cent to 31.7 per cent.

Franz B Humer, chairman and chief executive officer of Roche, said: “2006 was another year of strong growth and outstanding financial performance at Roche.

“Top line growth was driven by the pharmaceuticals division, where sales advanced at more than three times the market growth rate in 2006.”

He added that the company’s wide scope of products in conjunction with its robust research and development pipeline would enable the company to continue to eclipse the market average with its future growth.

Earlier this week, Roche announced a new operating model for the running of its global research and development activities.

The company reported that these functions would now be conducted around a number of disease biology areas aligned to different therapeutic fields.