F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company headquarters are located in Basel. Roche is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, and the leading provider of cancer treatments globally.
The company controls the American biotechnology company Genentech, which is a wholly-owned affiliate, and the Japanese biotechnology company Chugai Pharmaceuticals, as well as the United States-based companies Ventana and Foundation Medicine. Roche’s revenues during fiscal year 2020 were 58.32 billion Swiss francs. Descendants of the founding Hoffmann and Oeri families own slightly over half of the bearer shares with voting rights (a pool of family shareholders 45%, and Maja Oeri a further 5% apart), with Swiss pharma firm Novartis owning a further third of its shares. Roche is one of the few companies increasing their dividend every year, for 2020 as the 34th consecutive year. F. Hoffmann-La Roche is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
With the antibody tests which involve a blood draw and secures the Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one will be able able to ascertain his antibody levels before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Roche has announced that it gained 1% in the sales in the first half of the year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which plunged the company’s performance.
