F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., or simply Roche, has been around for over a hundred years and the company prides itself for being a pioneer in healthcare innovations and one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare company. The Switzerland based company operates in two fields, namely pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Additionally, Roche is known for being the world’s biggest biotech company.

Roche history

Roche was founded in 1896 by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, an entrepreneur. He believed and invested in the future of pharmaceutical products and industrial manufacturing of medicines. Their first products were a series of thyroid preparations and wound antiseptics, the latter of which was produced in Germany. From this production facility in Germany, Hoffmann-La Roche and his partner, Carl Meerwin moved to expand and create a bigger network. They began opening offices in Italy, USA, Russia, and Britain.

With their expansion, Roche also began adding to their portfolio in the early 1900s. These additions include preparations and drugs for the heart, epilepsy and nervous disorders. In these years, their corporate development continued to expand worldwide.

In the 1930s, they began strengthening their research on pharmaceuticals. Their research portfolio grew to be very diverse in the following years, which now included antidepressants and agents for cancer chemotherapy. The output of the company continued to increase by the 1960s. By the 1970s, they started diversification and branched out to other markets of healthcare. The company committed itself to research and in the 1990s; advances and innovations for drug therapy were continuously being developed. Roche also produced more and more drugs and treatments aimed at cancer and HIV.

Roche collaborated with Genentech, a pioneer in biotechnology, and this strengthened the innovations of the company. With all these, Roche aims to revolutionize healthcare and make it personalised.

Roche operations

Roche originated in Basel, Switzerland, which is also the location of the company headquarters. They also operate around the globe, with pharmaceutical and diagnostic sites in several states in the US including New Jersey, California, South Carolina and Indiana, and in other countries like the UK, Ireland, China, Germany, India, Brazil, Pakistan and Italy.
Genentech is also an affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. In addition to that, Roche owns Chugai Pharmaceuticals based in Japan and Ventana Medical systems in Arizona.

Vision of Roche

The primary focus of Roche is addressing medical concerns and problems that have yet to be met or solved. They direct their efforts to disease areas in which the need for medical attention is great. The commitment of Roche to research and innovation aims to provide benefits to their patients and transform their lives.

Roche key roles and facts

In the recent years, Roche has provided a wide range of products and services which have proven to be highly effective. As the world leader of in-vitro diagnostics, these products and services include drugs for cancer and transplantation. As such, they are also known to be the world’s leading supplier of drugs for the treatment of cancer.

One of the biggest investments of the company is in research and development. It is a continuous effort to produce new drugs and diagnostic products. With its subsidiaries, Genentech and Chugai, and network of universities research institutes and biotech companies, Roche uses this access to technology and innovation in the development of products and providing its patients solutions to their medical needs.

The company recognises that not all people will react the same way to a given medication. They aim to create products that are tailored specifically to certain groups. Roche plays another pioneering role in producing healthcare that is personalized for its patients.