Roche’s third-quarter results underscore that the momentum boosting sales for companies that have offered products to diagnose, treat or prevent COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic is beginning to wane. is shown.
A group of Swiss pharmaceutical companies has reported a “significant drop” in sales of its COVID-19-related products, including multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevas (ocrelizumab), hemophilia drug Hemlibra (emicizumab), spinal cord Muscular atrophy drug Everysdy (risdipram) offset growth in other products such as breast. The anticancer drug Phesgo (pertuzumab/trastuzumab/hyaluronidase).
COVID-19 diagnostics sales fell to CHF 600 million from last year’s CHF 1 billion ($1.01 billion), while the treatments lonapreb (casilibimab/imdevimab) and actemra/roactemra (tocilizumab) were CHF 1 billion Decreased by about a franc. in many countries by 2022 Quarterly updates (PDF).
Despite the decline, Roche posted 2% revenue growth at constant currencies in the first nine months of the year, supported by a 6% increase across diagnostic units aided by the launch of Digital PCR Diagnostics. I was able to extend it. Platforms and new cancer tests.
Diagnostics performance helped support flat drug sales from biosimilar competition from older Roche antibody products such as Avastin (bevacizumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab) .
Together, the four growth medicines mentioned above and the new ophthalmic medicine Vabysmo (farisimab) increased Roche’s pharmaceutical sales by CHF 2.2 billion in the third quarter, bringing the nine-month pharmaceutical sales to CHF 33.19 billion Of the francs, it accounted for 8.8 billion Swiss francs. .
Highlights include sales of Evrysdi, the only home-administered SMA drug, doubling to CHF 793 million, Phesgo reaching CHF 526 million, up 150%, and Vabysmo’s first Achieved sales of CHF 282 million in just a few years. It was approved earlier this year for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche, commented on the third-quarter figures: “Group sales increased by 2% despite an expected sharp decline in COVID-19 related products in both divisions. did,” he said.
“Demand for new medicines for multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, spinal muscular atrophy; and cancer remains high,” he added. We are particularly pleased that so many patients with severe eye disease have already started treatment with our new medicine, Bavismo. ”
For 2022 as a whole, Roche expects stable sales or sales growth in the low single-digit range at constant exchange rates.
