Press release

3 April 2007

Roche Diagnostics and FIND sign agreement of collaboration in diagnostics for poverty-related diseases

FIND and Roche Diagnostics agreed to evaluate several fields of collaboration of common interest, to evaluate possibilities for introduction of new diagnostic tools in the public health sector of high endemic countries. Among other aspects of this collaboration, FIND will be responsible for conducting studies for the technical product evaluation in relevant clinical settings in developing countries. Roche will bring in their experience in development and service in diagnostics.

Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and through its wide range of innovative products has contributed to major medical advances in modern medicine.

As a leading public-private partnership in the area of diagnostics, FIND’s main objective is to adapt the most sophisticated technologies to the needs of underprivileged people in developing countries to better fight poverty-related diseases. FIND’s disease portfolio currently includes tuberculosis, sleeping sickness, and - more recently- malaria.

“Roche is glad to cooperate with FIND in this very important field of poverty-related diseases. As one of the leading healthcare companies in the world it is Roche’s mission to support people with high-quality diagnostic products that fit for their specific needs,” stated Dr. Manfred Baier, Head of Roche Applied Science.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world’s biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 33.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 75,000 worldwide and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche’s Diagnostics Division offers a uniquely broad product portfolio and supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories world-wide. For further information, please visit our website at www.roche.com.

Corporate social responsibility at Roche
Over and above its primary role as an innovative healthcare business, Roche also has a long heritage of wider community involvement – in humanitarian and social projects centered mainly in Least Developed Countries. Please find further information at: http://www.roche.com/home/sustainability.htm.  

About FIND
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) is a non-profit Swiss foundation based in Geneva. Its purpose is to support and promote the health of people in developing countries by sponsoring the development and introduction of new but affordable diagnostic tools for poverty related diseases. FIND’s current donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, the European Union and the Dutch Government.

Media inquiries:

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)
Jewel Thomas,
Communications and Advocacy Coordinator
Tel.: +41 (0) 22 / 710 27 86
E-mail: jewel.thomas@finddiagnostics.org

Roche Applied Science
Burkhard Ziebolz, phD
Communications
Tel.: 0049 8856 60 4830
E-mail: burkhard.ziebolz@roche.com  

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