Saturday, November 16, 2013

Roche Holding More than Oncology Franchise

Notwithstanding safety concerns and narrow therapeutic labeling, Roche Holding’s (RHHBY-$69.63) rheumatoid arthritis treatment Actmera has still managed to show respectable sequential growth: January – September 2013 sales grew 33% to 763 million Swiss francs ($826.9 million), likely due to study results presented last year showing Actemra was more effective than Humira as monotherapy in reducing common disease-activity endpoints of RA (e.g. reduction in tenderness and swollen joints) in those sufferers who couldn’t take methotrexate, the standard-of-care in most newly-diagnosed patients.

Recent events suggest that estimated peak annual sales of $1.1 billion in 2017 could prove conservative, too.



Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.  

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