Basel, 27 July 2023
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker: “In the first half of 2023, sales in the base business of both our divisions grew strongly, largely offsetting the impact of declining demand for COVID-19 products. Vabysmo continues its strong momentum – now providing treatment for patients with severe eye conditions in over 70 countries. We reached several important pipeline milestones, including the US and EU approvals of our blood cancer medicine Columvi. I am also excited about our partnership with Alnylam to develop a potentially transformative medicine for patients living with hypertension, which affects 1.2 billion adults worldwide and is the leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease. We confirm our outlook for 2023.”
Key figures | CHF millions | % change | ||
January–June 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER1 | In CHF |
Group sales | 29,779 | 32,295 | -2 | -8 |
Pharmaceuticals Division sales | 22,681 | 22,347 | 8 | 1 |
Diagnostics Division sales | 7,098 | 9,948 | -23 | -29 |
Core operating profit | 10,911 | 12,668 | -6 | -14 |
Core EPS – diluted (CHF) | 10.10 | 11.76 | -5 | -14 |
IFRS net income | 7,563 | 9,161 | -9 | -17 |
Outlook for 2023 confirmed
Due to the sharp decline in sales of COVID-19 products of roughly CHF 5 billion, Roche expects a decrease in Group sales in the low single digit range (at CER). Excluding this COVID-19 sales decline, Roche anticipates solid sales growth in both divisions’ base business.
Core earnings per share are targeted to develop broadly in line with the sales decline (at CER). Roche expects to further increase its dividend in Swiss francs.
Group results
In the first half of 2023, the Roche Group’s base business achieved strong sales growth of 8%. This partially compensated for the expected decline of COVID-19 sales.
Overall, Roche reported a 2% decline in Group sales (-8% in CHF).
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.
Core operating profit was down 6% (-14% in CHF), reflecting the sales decline in COVID-19 products and the income from the patent settlement in Japan in the first half of 2022.
Core earnings per share decreased 5%, also driven by lower demand for COVID-19 products and the base effect from the above-mentioned patent settlement; IFRS net income declined 9% due to lower core operating profit and higher interest expenses.
Sales in the Pharmaceuticals Division increased by 8% to CHF 22.7 billion. Newer medicines to treat severe diseases continued their strong growth.
The eye medicine Vabysmo, launched only in early 2022, was again the major driver of growth, with sales of CHF 1.0 billion, mainly in the US.
The top five growth drivers – Vabysmo, Ocrevus (multiple sclerosis), Hemlibra (haemophilia), Evrysdi (spinal muscular atrophy) and Phesgo (breast cancer) – generated total sales of CHF 7.5 billion, representing an increase of CHF 2.2 billion from the first half of 2022.
In the United States, sales grew 7%. Vabysmo generated CHF 0.8 billion in sales. The positive impact of the growth of Vabysmo, Ocrevus, Hemlibra, Tecentriq (cancer immunotherapy) and Activase/TNKase (cardiac diseases) was partly offset by lower sales of medicines for which patent protection has expired.
In Europe, sales increased by 5%, driven by the launch of Vabysmo and the continued uptake of Evrysdi, Phesgo, Hemlibra and Ocrevus. This was partially offset by the biosimilars impact and lower sales of Ronapreve (COVID-19).
Sales in Japan rose 14%, mainly due to supplies of Ronapreve to the government and supported by sales growth of Polivy, Vabysmo and Hemlibra. These more than offset the impact of biosimilars and government price cuts.
Sales in the International region grew by 9%. This positive trend was observed across all major markets. Perjeta (breast cancer), Evrysdi, Ocrevus, Hemlibra and Kadcyla (breast cancer) were the main drivers. Sales in China increased by 3%, driven by Tamiflu (influenza), Perjeta, Xofluza (influenza), Actemra/RoActemra (COVID-19/rheumatoid arthritis) and Polivy. This more than offset the impact of biosimilars.
The Diagnostics Division’s base business – up 6% – achieved strong results over the first six months across all regions.
The main contributors to growth were immunodiagnostics, particularly cardiac tests, and diagnostics solutions for clinical chemistry.
Overall, the Diagnostics Division reported sales of CHF 7.1 billion, a decline of 23% reflecting the expected tapering of demand for COVID-19 tests (CHF 0.4 billion in the first half of 2023, compared to CHF 3.1 billion in the first half of 2022).
The impact of COVID-19 was evident in most regions: The North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions experienced a sales decline of 30%, 23% and 22%, respectively. Sales in Latin America remained stable.
Pharmaceuticals: key development milestones in the second quarter of 2023
Compound | Milestone |
Regulatory | |
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | CHMP recommends Evrysdi for babies under two months old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
|
Columvi Blood cancer | European Commission approves fixed-duration Columvi (glofitamab) for people with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
|
Columvi Blood cancer | FDA approves Columvi, the first and only bispecific antibody with a fixed-duration treatment for people with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
|
Vabysmo Severe eye diseases | FDA accepts application for Vabysmo for treatment of retinal vein occlusion (RVO)
|
Phase III, pivotal and other key readouts; data presentations | |
Vabysmo Severe eye diseases | American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) meeting: New clinical and real-world data for Vabysmo reveal improved outcomes for people with two leading causes of vision loss
|
Ocrevus Multiple sclerosis | Positive phase III results for Ocrevus twice a year, 10-minute subcutaneous injection in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)
|
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | Four-year follow-up data on Evrysdi show continued increase in number of children with a severe form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who are able to sit, stand and walk
|
Crovalimab Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) | European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress: New data show subcutaneously administered crovalimab achieved disease control and was well-tolerated in people with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH)
|
Tiragolumab Liver cancer | American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting: Roche to present new data in blood cancers and solid tumours from its broad portfolio
|
Fenebrutinib Multiple sclerosis | BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib significantly reduces brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis
|
Others | |
Partnership with Alnylam | Roche enters partnership with Alnylam to co-develop and co-commercialise RNAi therapeutic zilebesiran to treat hypertension in patients with high cardiovascular risk
|
Institute of Human Biology | Roche launches Institute of Human Biology (IHB) to accelerate breakthroughs in research and development by unlocking the potential of human model systems
|
Pharmaceuticals sales
Sales | CHF millions | As % of sales | % change | |||
January–June 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER | In CHF |
Pharmaceuticals Division | 22,681 | 22,347 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 8 | 1 |
United States | 11,743 | 11,363 | 51.8 | 50.8 | 7 | 3 |
Europe | 4,105 | 4,104 | 18.1 | 18.4 | 5 | 0 |
Japan | 2,210 | 2,202 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 14 | 0 |
International* | 4,623 | 4,678 | 20.4 | 20.9 | 9 | -1 |
*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 | 3,200 | 15 | 2,346 | 13 | 584 | 13 | - | - | 270 | 28 |
Hemlibra Haemophilia A | 2,087 | 20 | 1,247 | 18 | 419 | 22 | 192 | 21 | 229 | 34 |
Perjeta2 Breast cancer | 2,082 | 9 | 763 | 7 | 413 | -5 | 109 | 3 | 797 | 20 |
Tecentriq Cancer immunotherapy | 1,853 | 12 | 1,000 | 9 | 398 | 9 | 214 | 11 | 241 | 28 |
Actemra/RoActemra2 RA, COVID-19 | 1,296 | -6 | 574 | -11 | 383 | -4 | 157 | 3 | 182 | 1 |
Xolair2 Asthma | 1,031 | 4 | 1,031 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Kadcyla2 Breast cancer | 1,001 | 0 | 386 | -4 | 298 | -10 | 52 | -13 | 265 | 24 |
Vabysmo Eye diseases (nAMD, DME) | 957 | ** | 788 | ** | 103 | ** | 46 | ** | 20 | ** |
MabThera/Rituxan2 Blood cancer, RA | 882 | -17 | 534 | -20 | 96 | -4 | 13 | -14 | 239 | -13 |
Herceptin2 Breast and gastric cancer | 878 | -19 | 176 | -31 | 183 | -17 | 17 | -32 | 502 | -14 |
Avastin 2 Various cancer types | 837 | -21 | 256 | -23 | 57 | -48 | 177 | -23 | 347 | -10 |
Alecensa Lung cancer | 758 | 10 | 221 | 11 | 148 | 4 | 107 | 6 | 282 | 14 |
Evrysdi Spinal muscular atrophy | 705 | 48 | 255 | 16 | 241 | 66 | 45 | 34 | 164 | 105 |
Activase/TNKase Cardiac diseases | 621 | 15 | 592 | 15 | - | - | - | - | 29 | 12 |
Ronapreve COVID-19 | 550 | 2 | - | - | - | -100 | 549 | 33 | 1 | -99 |
Phesgo Breast cancer | 517 | 69 | 209 | 57 | 240 | 57 | - | - | 68 | 216 |
Gazyva/Gazyvaro2 Blood cancer | 402 | 22 | 194 | 25 | 111 | 24 | 20 | -17 | 77 | 28 |
Polivy Blood cancer | 353 | 114 | 124 | 65 | 80 | 84 | 108 | 182 | 41 | 339 |
Lucentis2 Various eye diseases | 299 | -46 | 299 | -46 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
** Over 500%
DME: diabetic macular oedema / nAMD: neovascular or ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration / RA: rheumatoid arthritis
Diagnostics: key milestones in the first half of 2023
Product | Milestone |
Elecsys beta-Amyloid (1-42) CSF II and Elecsys Total-Tau CSF assays Alzheimer’s disease | Roche receives FDA clearance for additional Alzheimer’s disease Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) assays, supporting timely diagnosis and treatment decision-making
|
cobas HPV test Human papillomavirus (HPV) | Roche awarded WHO prequalification for the cobas HPV test, increasing access to cervical cancer screening tools in low and lower-middle income countries (LMICs)
|
Diagnostics sales
Sales | CHF millions | As % of sales | % change | |||
January–June 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | At CER | In CHF |
Diagnostics Division | 7,098 | 9,948 | 100.0 | 100.0 | -23 | -29 |
Customer Areas3 | ||||||
Core Lab | 3,935 | 3,875 | 55.4 | 38.9 | 10 | 2 |
Molecular Lab | 1,118 | 1,980 | 15.8 | 19.9 | -40 | -44 |
Diabetes Care | 723 | 832 | 10.2 | 8.4 | -5 | -13 |
Pathology Lab | 687 | 652 | 9.7 | 6.6 | 12 | 5 |
Point of Care | 635 | 2,609 | 8.9 | 26.2 | -74 | -76 |
Regions | ||||||
Europe, Middle East and Africa | 2,456 | 3,350 | 34.6 | 33.4 | -22 | -27 |
North America | 1,940 | 2,868 | 27.3 | 29.0 | -30 | -32 |
Asia–Pacific | 2,205 | 3,171 | 31.1 | 32.0 | -23 | -30 |
Latin America | 497 | 559 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 0 | -11 |
More information on Roche performance in the first half 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] Products launched before 2015.
[3] Core Lab: diagnostics solutions in the areas of immunoassays, clinical chemistry and custom biotech.
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.
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