Roche: Personalised medicines will differentiate company’s output

Roche has outlined its commitment to the study of personalised medicine, an area that it believes will play a key role in the company's future success.

Speaking to the New Jersey-based news publication the Star-Ledger, pharmaceutical research and early development head Jean-Jacques Garaud stated that this field will help to differentiate Roche from the pack in the coming years.

Mr Garaud explained that tailored therapies provide numerous advantages over mass treatments, as medicines can be targeted directly at members of the patient population who will benefit most.

He highlighted the successful development of the metastatic melanoma Zelboraf as an example, as the drug has been able to make it from phase I testing to commercial launch in around five years.

The therapy, which was recommended by Europe's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use last month, works in conjunction with the cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test and is already approved in the US and Switzerland.

"We believe that for us to bring medicines that are innovative and successful, the product is going to have to prove it is very beneficial," said Mr Garaud.