is roche next

Is roche the next pharma they seem to acknowledging a problem

Roche To Defend Products Against Biosimilar Threat - CFO


By Peter Loftus, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) has a strategy to defend its lineup of blockbuster biotechnology drugs against competition from copycat versions--but the Swiss drug maker won't publicly share any details.

"We would be stupid to tell our defense strategy" and tip off competitors, Roche Chief Financial Officer Erich Hunziker told investors at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference here on Monday.

Roche markets the Avastin and Herceptin cancer drugs, as well as the rheumatoid-arthritis treatment Rituxan, also sold under the brand MabThera in certain countries.

Some Roche shareholders have been concerned about plans by competitors to develop so-called biosimilar versions of Roche drugs. Most recently Novartis AG (NVS) said it would test a version of Rituxan.

"You can be assured that we have three to four years to get prepared," Hunziker said, referring to coming patent expirations.

He said Roche continues to have market advantages. "I don't know a company in the world which can produce Herceptin more cheaply than we can," he said.

-Peter Loftus, Dow Jones Newswires; +1-215-656-8289; [email protected]

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01-10-111326ET
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