Hoffmann La Roche doubles drug sales

Swiss pharmaceuticals firm Hoffmann La Roche managed to double its sales on the Romanian market last year after introducing complete integrated medical services, from diagnosis and treatment to post-treatment care.

“Following the market trend last year, Hoffmann La Roche saw its sales grow strongly and it reached second place among the drug producers on the market with sales almost twice as high as in 2003,” said Dan Zamonea, general manager of Hoffmann La Roche.

The company logged sales of 62.9 million euros and had a market share of 6.5% in 2004, according to Cegedim data quoted by Mediafax.

This year the company expects its total sales and market share to remain flat at a time when company representatives see the market stagnating or even falling in value.

The first quarter of 2005 saw higher sales on the market than in the same period of 2004, says Zamonea.

“We must not forget, however, that the first quarter of 2004 had the lowest sales compared with the other quarters. After the stagnation and even fall in the market of 2003, 2004 showed a progressive growth in sales, from quarter to quarter, with a maximum level being reached in the final quarter.”

The company”s activities in Romania include the top therapeutic sectors – virology (HIV, viral hepatitis, influenza), oncology, the treatment of obesity and transplants.

At the beginning of the year, Hoffmann”s non-prescription drugs were transferred to the Bayer portfolio in the wake of a corporate level deal of over two billion euros.

The company is heavily involved in various national programmes for the treatment of HIV, dialysis and oncology.

alexandru.cerchez@zf.ro