Roche announces strong 2008 results

Roche has announced strong operating results for last year and detailed its international pharmaceutical sales.

The company states 2008 ended with a ten per cent increase in its group business including organic growth of products such as the Tamiflu pandemic drug.

Overall pharmaceutical sales were also boosted by ten per cent and Roche claims this figure is twice the current rate of growth in the global market and its sixth consecutive double-digit increase.

Severin Schwan, chief executive of the company, said Roche had continued to build on the success it had enjoyed in recent years with both its pharmaceutical and diagnostics departments.

"In these times of economic upheaval it is more important than ever that we adhere rigorously to our strategy," he said. "Our aim remains to offer patients ever better treatments that are tailored to their condition."

Earlier this week, Roche announced the interim results of a phase III study which showed its Tarceva and Avastin treatment as effective in chemotherapy programmes.