Roche Pharmaceuticals (F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd.)

Roche Pharmaceuticals (F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd.) is a multinational healthcare and biotechnology company that is engaged in research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products, providing diagnostic and therapeutic services that allows healthcare professionals to detect, diagnose and treat illnesses of patients. The company was founded by Fritz Hoffman-La Roche in 1896. It is currently a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), a union of pharmaceutical companies operating in Europe.

Roche is based in Switzerland and is one of the biggest companies in the global pharmaceutical industry. Roche operates across the globe through two company divisions: the Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics divisions. Roche’s parent company, Roche Holding AG, has its shares traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It holds its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland and has expanded operations in other countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and China. Roche also owns subsidiaries including Genentech of the United States and Chugai Pharmaceuticals of Japan, both biotechnology companies.

The company produces pharmaceutical products including Bactrim, Bonviva, CellCept, Roaccutane, Tamiflu, Tarceva, Valcyte, Valium, Xenical and Zenapax. Furthermore, Roche develops and produces a wide array of products and services that are used in different fields of medical testing, specifically those that are used for treating cancer, transplantation and virology, and those that are used for medical and biological research.