Basel, 19 October 2023
- Group sales grow by 1%1 at constant exchange rates (CER) in the first nine months, showing a strong increase of 7% in the third quarter
- Excluding COVID-19 products, Group sales increase by 9%
- Pharmaceuticals Division sales grow by 9%, driven by continued high demand for newer medicines
- Diagnostics Division’s base business increases by 7%; overall divisional sales are down 18% due to a surge in demand for COVID-19 tests in 2022
- Highlights in the third quarter of 2023:
- EU approval of Evrysdi for babies under two months old with spinal muscular atrophy
- First approval of subcutaneous form of cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq
- Positive phase III data for Alecensa (early-stage lung cancer) and Ocrevus (subcutaneous injection; multiple sclerosis)
- Positive phase II data for zilebesiran (hypertension in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease) and additional positive phase II data for fenebrutinib (multiple sclerosis)
- Positive longer-term efficacy and safety data for Ocrevus (multiple sclerosis) and Vabysmo (retinal vein occlusion, a severe eye disease)
- Launch of first validated test for earlier diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and new module to improve laboratory efficiency
- Outlook for 2023 confirmed
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker: “We achieved good results in the first nine months of 2023, more than compensating for the expected decline in demand for COVID-19 products. Our Group sales excluding COVID-19 products continued to grow strongly by +9% at constant exchange rates. Additionally, we made significant progress in our product pipeline with numerous positive clinical studies. I am particularly pleased about the phase III data for Alecensa in early-stage lung cancer. Treating cancer at an early stage may give patients a chance for a cure. We confirm our outlook for 2023.”
Sales | CHF millions | As % of sales | % change | |||
January–September 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER | In CHF |
Group | 44,053 | 47,037 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 1 | -6 |
Pharmaceuticals Division | 33,622 | 33,189 | 76.3 | 70.6 | 9 | 1 |
United States | 17,680 | 17,199 | 40.1 | 36.6 | 8 | 3 |
Europe | 6,259 | 6,100 | 14.2 | 13.0 | 7 | 3 |
Japan | 2,937 | 3,029 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 10 | -3 |
International* | 6,746 | 6,861 | 15.3 | 14.6 | 12 | -2 |
Diagnostics Division | 10,431 | 13,848 | 23.7 | 29.4 | -18 | -25 |
*Asia-Pacific, CEETRIS (Central Eastern Europe, Türkiye, Russia and Indian subcontinent), Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Canada, others
Outlook for 2023 confirmed
Due to the sharp decline in sales of COVID-19 products of roughly CHF 4.5 billion, Roche expects a decrease in Group sales in the low single digit range (at constant exchange rates). Excluding this COVID-19 sales decline, Roche anticipates strong sales growth in both divisions’ base business.
Core earnings per share are targeted to develop broadly in line with the sales decline (at constant exchange rates). Roche expects to further increase its dividend in Swiss francs.
Group sales
In the first nine months of 2023, Group sales increased by 1% (-6% in CHF) to CHF 44.1 billion, even though the company had to compensate for the significant drop in sales of COVID-19 products and the biosimilar erosion2 (a total of CHF 4.0 billion or 9% of sales).
Excluding COVID-19 products, Group sales grew by 9%.
The appreciation of the Swiss franc against most currencies had a significant adverse impact on the results presented in Swiss francs compared to constant exchange rates.
Continued high demand for newer medicines to treat severe diseases led to a 9% increase in Pharmaceuticals Division sales, reaching CHF 33.6 billion.
Roche’s top five growth drivers – Vabysmo (severe eye diseases), Ocrevus (multiple sclerosis), Hemlibra (haemophilia), Polivy (blood cancer) and Evrysdi (spinal muscular atrophy) – collectively generated total sales of CHF 11.2 billion, marking a CHF 3.3 billion increase compared to the first nine months of 2022.
In the United States, sales increased by 8%. This notable growth was primarily driven by Vabysmo, Ocrevus and Hemlibra, in contrast to declining sales of medicines with expired patent protection.
Sales in Europe grew 7%, mainly driven by Germany, UK and France. Sales growth of Vabysmo, Phesgo, Evrysdi and Hemlibra was partially offset by the impact of biosimilars and the absence of sales for Ronapreve (COVID-19).
Sales in Japan experienced a 10% increase, primarily driven by Ronapreve, Polivy, Vabysmo, Hemlibra, Enspryng and Tamiflu (influenza). This sales growth more than offset the impact of biosimilars.
In the International region, sales grew by 12%. This encouraging trend was evident in all major markets, with Brazil and Canada leading the way. China recorded a 6% increase in sales, mainly fuelled by Tamiflu, Xeloda, Polivy and Perjeta. This more than outweighed the impact of biosimilars.
Sales of the Diagnostics Division’s base business grew strongly (+7%) across all major markets. The primary drivers of growth were immunodiagnostics, particularly cardiac tests, and diagnostic solutions for clinical chemistry.
Overall, the Diagnostics Division achieved sales of CHF 10.4 billion. The 18% decrease was in line with the anticipated significant drop in demand for COVID-19 tests (CHF 0.4 billion in the first nine months of 2023, in contrast to CHF 3.6 billion in the same period last year).
Sales in the North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions were down by 23%, 19% and 17%, respectively. The decline in sales across regions is primarily due to the sharp decline in demand for COVID-19 tests.
Pharmaceuticals: key development milestones in the third quarter of 2023
Compound | Milestone |
Regulatory | |
Tecentriq SC Subcutaneous cancer immunotherapy | Tecentriq becomes the first subcutaneous anti-PD-(L)1 cancer immunotherapy available to patients in Great Britain, reducing treatment time to just minutes
|
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | European Commission approves Evrysdi for babies under two months old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
|
Phase III, pivotal and other key readouts; data presentations | |
Alecensa Lung cancer | Alecensa reduces the risk of disease recurrence or death by an unprecedented 76% in people with ALK-positive early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
|
Fenebrutinib Multiple sclerosis | Late-breaking data for BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib show brain penetration and significant reduction in lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS)
|
Ocrevus subcutaneous injection Multiple sclerosis | Ocrevus twice-yearly, 10-minute subcutaneous injection is non-inferior to intravenous infusion and provided near-complete suppression of brain lesions
|
Vabysmo Retinal vein occlusion | Vabysmo maintains vision improvements with extended treatment intervals for up to four months for people with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in phase III studies
|
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | Majority of newborn babies with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated with Evrysdi are able to sit independently after one year of treatment
|
Ocrevus subcutaneous injection Multiple sclerosis Fenebrutinib Multiple sclerosis Enspryng Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder | Roche to present new key clinical and real-world data at ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS 2023 showcasing strength of long-term outcomes in MS and NMOSD
|
Zilebesiran Hypertension | Roche and Alnylam report positive topline results from phase II study KARDIA-1 of zilebesiran, an investigational RNAi therapeutic in development to treat hypertension in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease
|
Alecensa Lung cancer | Alecensa delivers unprecedented phase III results for people with ALK-positive early-stage lung cancer (NSCLC)
|
Tiragolumab Non-small cell lung cancer | Roche provides update on phase III SKYSCRAPER-01 study in PD-L1-high metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
|
Pharmaceuticals sales
Sales | CHF millions | As % of sales | % change | |||
January–September 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER | In CHF |
Pharmaceuticals Division | 33,622 | 33,189 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 9 | 1 |
United States | 17,680 | 17,199 | 52.6 | 51.8 | 8 | 3 |
Europe | 6,259 | 6,100 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 7 | 3 |
Japan | 2,937 | 3,029 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 10 | -3 |
International* | 6,746 | 6,861 | 20.3 | 20.7 | 12 | -2 |
*Asia-Pacific, CEETRIS (Central Eastern Europe, Türkiye, Russia and Indian subcontinent), Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Canada, others
Top-selling medicines | Total | United States | Europe | Japan | International | |||||
CHF m | % | CHF m | % | CHF m | % | CHF m | % | CHF m | % | |
Ocrevus Multiple sclerosis | 4,767 | 14 | 3,492 | 12 | 877 | 12 | - | - | 398 | 35 |
Hemlibra Haemophilia A | 3,112 | 19 | 1,862 | 17 | 637 | 22 | 281 | 15 | 332 | 36 |
Perjeta3 Breast cancer | 2,995 | 6 | 1,101 | 2 | 615 | -4 | 161 | 4 | 1,118 | 15 |
Tecentriq Cancer immunotherapy | 2,791 | 11 | 1,476 | 7 | 628 | 14 | 313 | 9 | 374 | 24 |
Actemra/RoActemra3 RA, COVID-19 | 1,943 | 2 | 877 | 1 | 583 | 1 | 232 | 3 | 251 | 6 |
Vabysmo Eye diseases (nAMD, DME) | 1,613 | ** | 1,320 | 449 | 185 | ** | 70 | 236 | 38 | ** |
Xolair3 Asthma | 1,601 | 4 | 1,601 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Kadcyla3 Breast cancer | 1,486 | 2 | 568 | -3 | 446 | -9 | 77 | -14 | 395 | 29 |
Herceptin3 Breast and gastric cancer | 1,261 | -17 | 258 | -28 | 271 | -15 | 24 | -33 | 708 | -13 |
MabThera/Rituxan3 Blood cancer, RA | 1,260 | -15 | 761 | -20 | 140 | -7 | 19 | -13 | 340 | -8 |
Avastin3 Various cancer types | 1,210 | -20 | 370 | -22 | 78 | -48 | 250 | -25 | 512 | -8 |
Alecensa Lung cancer | 1,126 | 9 | 340 | 8 | 220 | 5 | 157 | 6 | 409 | 12 |
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | 1,065 | 45 | 381 | 15 | 374 | 54 | 67 | 29 | 243 | 115 |
Activase/TNKase Cardiac diseases | 903 | 8 | 859 | 8 | - | - | - | - | 44 | 7 |
Phesgo Breast cancer | 817 | 66 | 320 | 56 | 384 | 53 | - | - | 113 | 186 |
Gazyva/Gazyvaro3 Blood cancer | 615 | 22 | 297 | 25 | 174 | 25 | 28 | -17 | 116 | 24 |
Polivy Blood cancer | 605 | 126 | 230 | 100 | 136 | 70 | 167 | 181 | 72 | 372 |
Ronapreve COVID-19 | 532 | -5 | - | - | - | -100 | 531 | 33 | 1 | -99 |
** Over 500%
DME: diabetic macular oedema / nAMD: neovascular or ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration / RA: rheumatoid arthritis
Diagnostics: key milestones in the third quarter of 2023
Product | Milestone |
Elecsys IL-6 claim extension Neonatal sepsis | Roche IL-6 is the first immunoassay approved to aid sepsis diagnosis in newborns
|
CCM Vertical Laboratory module | Roche launches a new addition to the cobas connection modules, the CCM Vertical, helping to improve laboratory efficiency
|
Diagnostics sales
Sales | CHF millions | As % of sales | % change | |||
January–September 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER | In CHF |
Diagnostics Division | 10,431 | 13,848 | 100.0 | 100.0 | -18 | -25 |
Customer Areas4 | ||||||
Core Lab | 5,836 | 5,833 | 56.0 | 42.1 | 9 | 0 |
Molecular Lab | 1,647 | 2,735 | 15.8 | 19.8 | -35 | -40 |
Pathology Lab | 1,046 | 975 | 10.0 | 7.0 | 15 | 7 |
Diabetes Care | 1,037 | 1,219 | 9.9 | 8.8 | -6 | -15 |
Point of Care | 865 | 3,086 | 8.3 | 22.3 | -70 | -72 |
Regions | ||||||
Europe, Middle East and Africa | 3,569 | 4,595 | 34.2 | 33.2 | -17 | -22 |
North America | 2,853 | 3,923 | 27.5 | 28.3 | -23 | -27 |
Asia-Pacific | 3,263 | 4,522 | 31.3 | 32.7 | -19 | -28 |
Latin America | 746 | 808 | 7.0 | 5.8 | 6 | -8 |
More information on Roche sales in the first nine months of 2023:
About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.
In recognising our endeavour to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.
Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.
For more information, please visit www.roche.com.
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
References
[1] Unless otherwise stated, all growth rates and comparisons to the previous year in this document are at constant exchange rates (CER: average rates 2022) and all total figures quoted are reported in CHF.
[2] Biosimilar erosion to Avastin, Herceptin and Mabthera/Rituxan.
[3] Products launched before 2015.
[4] Core Lab: diagnostics solutions in the areas of immunoassays, clinical chemistry and CustomBiotech.
Point of Care: diagnostics solutions in emergency rooms, medical practices or directly with patients.
Molecular Lab: diagnostics solutions for pathogen detection and monitoring, donor screening, sexual health and genomics.
Diabetes Care: integrated personalised diabetes management.
Pathology Lab: diagnostics solutions for tissue biopsies and companion diagnostics.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
This document contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as ‘believes’, ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘projects’, ‘intends’, ‘should’, ‘seeks’, ‘estimates’, ‘future’ or similar expressions or by discussion of, among other things, strategy, goals, plans or intentions. Various factors may cause actual results to differ materially in the future from those reflected in forward-looking statements contained in this document, such as: (1) pricing and product initiatives of competitors; (2) legislative and regulatory developments and economic conditions; (3) delay or inability in obtaining regulatory approvals or bringing products to market; (4) fluctuations in currency exchange rates and general financial market conditions; (5) uncertainties in the discovery, development or marketing of new products or new uses of existing products, including without limitation negative results of clinical trials or research projects, unexpected side effects of pipeline or marketed products; (6) increased government pricing pressures; (7) interruptions in production; (8) loss of or inability to obtain adequate protection for intellectual property rights; (9) litigation; (10) loss of key executives or other employees; and (11) adverse publicity and news coverage. The statement regarding earnings per share growth is not a profit forecast and should not be interpreted to mean that Roche’s earnings or earnings per share for this or any subsequent period will necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings or earnings per share of Roche.
Roche Global Media Relations
Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com
Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 79 407 72 58 | Nathalie Altermatt Phone: +41 79 771 05 25 |
Simon Goldsborough Phone: +44 797 32 72 915 | Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 79 461 86 83 |
Nina Mählitz Phone: +41 79 327 54 74 | Kirti Pandey Phone: +49 172 6367262 |
Rebekka Schnell Phone: +41 79 205 27 03 | Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48 |
Attachments
![](https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/media/MDU0Y2I0ZWUtOGEzMC00NzdlLWI0MDItMzA4ODZjMzYzOTMzLTEwMTI2MjE=/tiny/F-Hoffmann-La-Roche-Ltd.png)