Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche (SWX: RO) released its 2022 financial report this week, recording CHF 63.3 billion (USD 69.5 billion) in global sales. The company achieved a modest 2% year-on-year (YOY) growth at constant exchange rates (CER), impacted by lower COVID-19-related sales across both its Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics divisions.
Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics Performance
Roche’s Pharmaceuticals unit generated CHF 45.6 billion (USD 50.1 billion) in sales, up 2% YOY. Growth was driven by new treatments for severe diseases, which offset the decline from biosimilar competition and lower sales of the COVID-19 repurposed drug Actemra (tocilizumab). The Diagnostics division expanded by 3% to CHF 17.7 billion (USD 19.5 billion), primarily driven by immunodiagnostic products.
Top-Selling Pharmaceuticals
The top-selling pharmaceuticals remained consistent with Q3 2022 results. Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) led with CHF 6.0 billion (USD 6.6 billion) in sales, up 17% YOY. Breast cancer therapy Perjeta (pertuzumab) followed with CHF 4.1 billion (USD 4.5 billion), up 5% YOY. Hemophilia drug Hemlibra (emicizumab) achieved CHF 3.8 billion (USD 4.2 billion) in sales, up 27%. The PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq (atezolizumab) recorded CHF 3.7 billion (USD 4.1 billion), up 14% YOY. Meanwhile, four core products facing biosimilar erosion—Actemra, Herceptin (trastuzumab), Avastin (bevacizumab), and MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab)—saw sales drop by 22%, 19%, 28%, and 21% YOY respectively, resulting in a combined CHF 1.9 billion decline.
New Launches and Future Outlook
Roche celebrated the global launch of two bispecific antibodies (BsAbs): ophthalmic drug Vabysmo (faricimab) and cancer treatment Lunsumio (mosunetuzumab). The company expects solid underlying growth in both divisions to offset an estimated CHF 5 billion (USD 5.5 billion) decline in COVID-19 product sales, projecting low single-digit growth in 2023.
China Performance: Mixed Results
Roche’s China performance showed a mixed picture. Pharmaceutical Group sales contracted by 7% YOY to CHF 3.039 billion (USD 3.3 billion) due to biosimilar competition against key products like MabThera/Rituxan, Herceptin, and Avastin, as well as lower sales of antibiotic Rocephin (ceftriaxone). However, demand for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug Alecensa (alectinib), leukemia therapy Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab), and Perjeta grew. The Diagnostics Division in China expanded by 6% to CHF 2.58 billion (USD 2.82 billion), driven by strong sales of the SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen test and immunoassays business across the Asia-Pacific region.-Fineline Info & Tech
