Roche to launch efficiency improvement initiative

Roche is launching a new corporate efficiency improvement scheme which is designed to help it reduce costs and accelerate the productivity of its pipeline.

As part of its new Operational Excellence initiative, the healthcare company will be reviewing the structures and processes of its various divisions during 2011 and 2012 in order to find ways of improving performance.

The firm states that this move will allow the company to augment its ability to produce high-value medical products, allowing it to cater to market demands for cost reductions in the healthcare sector.

Severin Schwan, chief executive officer of Roche, explained: "We will focus our resources towards investments that will drive innovation and ensure the company's long-term success, while at the same time protecting our profitability so as to safeguard our financial flexibility."

In July 2010, Roche published its financial results for the second quarter of the current fiscal year, reporting sales year-on-year growth of five per cent, driven by the strong performance of its pharmaceutical and diagnostic divisions.