BERN: Severin Schwan, the CEO of the Basel-based firm Roche said sales rose to 11.8 billion francs from 11.4 billion francs last year, beating analyst forecasts which had pegged them at an average of 11.5 billion Swiss francs. “We started the year with strong growth and good uptake of new products,” said Severin Schwan, the CEO of the Basel-based firm.
“Overall, we are on track to reach our full-year targets for 2015,” he said. “In 2015, Roche continues to expect sales to grow low- to mid-single digit, at constant exchange rates,” a statement said, hinting at growth of between one and five percent. The company said it expected to pay a higher dividend in Swiss francs to shareholders this year.
Sales in the pharmaceutical division rose four percent to 9.3 billion francs, spurred by medicines for HER2-positive breast cancer such as Herceptin, Perjeta and Kadcyla, which saw very strong growth of 23 percent, it said. “Avastin, which is used to treat seven different cancers, also continued to grow strongly,” with a six percent rise in sales, it said. In diagnostics, sales also increased six percent.
