Roche and Actavis agree on product transactions

Divestment of three Roche pharmaceutical products to Actavis underlines strong focus on key therapy areas

Roche and Actavis, a leading generic pharmaceutical company based in Iceland, have signed agreements for the sale of three Roche pharmaceutical products to Actavis. All product rights – with some territorial exceptions – for Bezalip and Rapilysin, both used in the cardiovascular field, and for the dermatology product Neotigason are being transferred to Actavis. In Latin America Roche will continue to distribute the products under a license of Actavis. In 2006 these three products had combined sales of 140 million Swiss francs. The transactions are expected to close in stages in late 2007 and early 2008, subject to standard closing conditions. The financial terms are not disclosed.

These transactions further underline Roche’s strategy of focusing on core products from its innovation-driven pharmaceutical and diagnostic divisions, two businesses with significant potential for high value creation, both for the patients and the company.