Post by : Badri Ariffin

Swiss healthcare giant Roche Holding AG has lifted its full-year profit outlook after posting solid results for the first nine months of 2025, with group sales rising 7% at constant exchange rates to CHF 45.9 billion. In Swiss francs, sales were up 2%, supported by strong performance in its Pharmaceuticals Division.

The Basel-based company now expects core earnings per share to grow in the high single- to low double-digit range, and plans to raise its dividend in Swiss francs, signaling confidence in sustained momentum.

Roche’s Pharmaceuticals Division delivered robust 9% growth at constant exchange rates, reaching CHF 35.6 billion. The surge was driven by blockbuster therapies including Phesgo, Xolair, Hemlibra, Vabysmo, and Ocrevus, which together contributed CHF 15.8 billion, marking a CHF 2.4 billion jump from the previous year. This strength helped offset a CHF 0.5 billion drop in sales from older drugs that lost exclusivity, such as Avastin and Herceptin.

The Diagnostics Division grew 1% at constant exchange rates, although sales slipped 4% in Swiss francs to CHF 10.3 billion, weighed down by healthcare pricing reforms in China. Increased demand for pathology and molecular diagnostics helped cushion the impact.

Regionally, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa saw sales rise 6%, while North America gained 7%. Growth was mixed elsewhere — Latin America advanced 14%, while Asia-Pacific declined 15% on pricing pressures. Notably, China’s sales climbed 9%, aided by Phesgo’s inclusion in the national reimbursement list and higher demand for Xofluza, Polivy, and Vabysmo.

Among Roche’s best-performing medicines, Ocrevus led with CHF 5.2 billion in sales, followed by Hemlibra at CHF 3.5 billion and Vabysmo at CHF 3.1 billion. Other notable performers included Tecentriq (CHF 2.6 billion), Perjeta (CHF 2.3 billion), Xolair (CHF 2.2 billion), and Phesgo, which surged 54% to CHF 1.8 billion.

The company also made strategic moves to expand its pipeline, agreeing to acquire U.S. biopharmaceutical firm 89bio, Inc. in a deal valued at up to $3.5 billion. The acquisition adds a phase III candidate for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis to Roche’s portfolio. In the U.S., it also began construction of a $700 million manufacturing facility in North Carolina, part of a broader $50 billion investment plan.

With solid sales, an expanding late-stage pipeline, and new manufacturing capacity underway, Roche appears to be strengthening its position in both pharmaceutical innovation and global healthcare infrastructure.

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