In the first quarter of 2018, Swiss pharmaceuticals and diagnostics player Roche group’s sales rose by 6% to CHF 13.6 billion. Sales in the pharma division increased by 7% CHF 10.7 billion mainly by strong growth in Ocrevus and Perjeta.

The phenomenal growth driver was Ocrevus, which is used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis; Ocrevus continued its growth in the US market and was introduced in Europe and additional countries worldwide during the first quarter. Perjeta is used for patients with HER2-positive; the strong sales of Perjeta were supported by US approval for its use of adjuvant after surgery. 10 countries had granted approval for Perjeta in the last quarter (Q1 2018). The growth reported for the pharmaceuticals division was partially offset by lower sales of MabThera/Rituxan, Tarceva, and Avastin.

Ocrevus, Herceptin, and Perjeta have had a 15% increase in sales in the US. Due to competition from biosimilars, the sales of MabThera/Rituxan decreased by 7%. The newly launched Ocrevus, Tecentriq, and Hemlibra had good early uptake. In the International region, sales grew 5%, led by the Asia–Pacific and Latin America sub-regions. Diagnostics Division sales climbed by 5% to CHF 2.9 billion. Centralized and point of Care Solutions (+4%) was a key contributor, led by the growth of its immunodiagnostics business (+5%).

“We have started the year with strong sales growth in both our Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics Divisions. I am particularly pleased with the strong demand for our new medicines, which contributed significantly to our growth’’ stated Roche CEO, Severin Schwan. Based on our performance in the first quarter, we raise the outlook for the full-year.”

In the first quarter, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Ocrevus for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Hemlibra. For people with Haemophilia, Hemlibra is the first new medicine in over 20 years in the EU. Also in March 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Lucentis 0.3 mg prefilled syringe as a new method of administering the medicine to treat all forms of diabetic retinopathy.

Roche closed two acquisitions in Q1 2018: Flatiron Health and Ignyta, Inc. Roche acquired Flatiron Health to increase development and delivery of breakthrough medicines for patients suffering from cancer. Flatiron Health will work as a separate legal entity. Ignyta, Inc., now part of Roche's Pharmaceuticals Division, develops potentially life-saving, precisely targeted therapeutics guided by diagnostic tests.