Disease Areas
Roche concentrates its efforts in selected core therapeutic areas that span both general practice and specialist hospital medicine. These areas include:
Please note that Roche are unable to answer questions on personal medical maters; these should be discussed with your medical practitioner. As product information and availability varies from country to country, we are able to respond to New Zealand enquiries only. We cannot answer product-related questions through this website. For product information regarding Roche prescription medicines, health professionals should call Roche on 0800 656 464. Contact details for countries other than New Zealand can be found at www.roche.com.
| Disease Area | About | Statistics | Roche Medicine/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaemia | Anaemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells or a reduction in their haemoglobin content. Haemoglobin is the pigment that carries the oxygen in the red blood cells – oxygen is required for the body to function. Anaemia has a wide variety of causes such as in chronic kidney disease, where the kidneys fail to produce the required amount of erythropoietin. Erythropoietin is the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to make red blood cells. Anaemia can also occur in premature infants and as a side effect of cancer treatment. Due to funding restrictions, Roche focuses its activities in the area of renal anaemia. Recormon, a form of recombinant human erythropoietin is used to stimulate the production of red blood cells and correct anaemia. | Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is increasing in incidence, both overseas and in New Zealand. Patients with end stage kidney disease or renal failure require dialysis to perform the function of the kidney. From 1997 to 2002, the number of patients entering New Zealand renal failure programmes increased by 41%. The most common cause of end stage kidney disease in New Zealand is diabetic nephropathy, commonly caused by type 2 diabetes. People of Maori and/or Polynesian descent have an increased risk of developing CKD. | NEORECORMON® |
| Cancer | In the last 5 years, Roche has become the world's leading provider of anti-cancer treatments, supportive care products and diagnostics. Three marketed medicines, Xeloda, Herceptin and MabThera have shown a survival benefit. Two new oncology treatments currently in development also have a survival benefit. Herceptin is a targeted antibody for patients with metastatic (advanced) breast cancer whose tumours overexpress the HER2 protein. MabThera is another antibody that is used in the treatment of non Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Xeloda, an oral chemotherapy, is used in the treatment of breast and bowel (colorectal) cancer. Neupogen is a supportive therapy that increases the production of neutrophils which help to fight infection. Some cancer treatments will reduce the number of neutrophils in your body. | When all forms of cancer are grouped together, cancer is the leading cause of death in New Zealand (29%). This percentage has increased from 26% in 1996. In 2000, a total of 17700 patients were diagnosed with cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for New Zealand males, whereas breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in New Zealand females. In New Zealand, the risk of developing breast cancer is one in ten in a woman's life time. In 1998, 2071 people were diagnosed with breast cancer with 629 deaths that year. It is estimated that in 2004, 2500 women will register with breast cancer and 700 will die. Colorectal (bowel) cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in New Zealand with about 1100 deaths per year. Each year in New Zealand, approximately 2400 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer. The incidence of bowel cancer in New Zealand is among the highest in the world. About 600 patients per year are diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The incidence of NHL is increasing steadily and is expected to total 5% of New Zealand's cancer burden by 2012. | HERCEPTIN® MABTHERA® NEUPOGEN® XELODA® AVASTIN® NEULASTIM® TARCEVA® |
| Cystic Fibrosis | Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease in which secretions (mucous), mainly of the lung passages and pancreas, are affected. This mucous becomes very thick and sticky which may cause blockage in the ducts of the pancreas leading to a reduced production of digestive juices. It may also cause breathing difficulties and coughing due to the blockage of the small bronchial tubes in the lung. Pulmozyme improves lung function and coughing in cystic fibrosis patients. |
New Zealand has more than 300 children and adults diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. About 1 in 3000 to 1 3500 infants will be born with cystic fibrosis in New Zealand. The caucasian population has higher rates than Asians or Polynesians. | PULMOZYME® |
| Heart Disease | Heart disease is an umbrella term for conditions such as angina, heart attack and heart failure. Angina is usually described as chest pain that occurs due to narrowing of the arteries in the heart. A heart attack will occur if the artery becomes blocked and the heart muscle is damaged. Heart failure occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood strongly enough for the body's needs. Often the heart gets bigger to try to improve the blood flow, but this can make the heart failure worse. Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath and swelling of the feet and/or legs due to fluid build-up. Roche's cardiovascular products treat a wide variety of conditions including hypertension (Inhibace/Inhibace Plus), angina (ISMO 20), heart failure (Dilatrend) and abnormalities of lipid profile (Bezalip). Rapilysin is also used to dissolve blood clots that may cause heart attacks. | Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading single cause of death in New Zealand accounting for approximately one quarter of deaths each year. Each day 17 New Zealander's die as a result of coronary heart disease. CHD includes angina, heart attacks and heart failure. About 1-2% of adult New Zealander's suffer from heart failure, with around 12,000 hospital admissions per year. | DILATREND® INHIBACE® INHIBACE PLUS® |
| Hepatitis | Hepatitis C is a serious virus carried in the blood that can damage the liver, leading to liver scarring (cirrhosis), liver failure and liver cancer. People may not be aware they have hepatitis C because symptoms of the virus do not appear for many years. Tiredness and lethargy (often to the point of exhaustion after a normal day's work) are commonly experienced, but often remain unexplained until the diagnosis of hepatitis C. The standard treatment for hepatitis C is through injections of interferons. To date, no vaccine is available for the prevention of hepatitis C. The first interferon developed by Roche in the late 1980s was Roferon-A. Roche have continued to work in the area of hepatitis C and recently introduced a pegylated form of interferon, Pegasys. To improve the response rate of the interferons, some patients may also receive antiviral tablets called Copegus. The aim of hepatitis C treatment is clearance of the virus from the blood. If the virus is not present in the blood six months after treatment is finished the patient is considered to be cured. | It is estimated that over 25,000 New Zealanders are living with hepatitis C and that this number could rise by 50% in the next 10 years. This means that about 1300 New Zealanders could be infected with hepatitis C each year. The hepatitis C virus can take a number of slightly different forms known as genotypes. The different genotypes all damage the liver in the same way but respond differently to treatment. Genotype 1 is the most difficult to treat genotype and occurs in about half of the people with hepatitis C in New Zealand. End-stage liver disease as a result of hepatitis C is the second most frequent reason for a liver transplant in New Zealand. The cost of each liver transplant in this country is approximately $140,000. | COPEGUS® PEGASYS® ROFERON®-A |
| HIV/AIDS | The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is transmitted via infected blood (eg injections, blood products or by unprotected sexual activity) and attacks the body's immune system. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a complex of illnesses that develops following HIV infection. Roche have developed a number of protease inhibitors including Invirase / Fortovase and Viracept. Protease inhibitors block an enzyme that is involved in the reproduction of the virus. These medicines are not a cure for HIV/AIDS. Roche also market other medicines that treat some of the resulting illnesses that may occur following HIV infection. | Approximately 2000 people in New Zealand have been diagnosed as HIV positive since records started being taken in 1985. Similar to the rest of the developed world, the rates of HIV infection in New Zealand continue to increase. About 190 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2003. | FUZEON® |
| Transplantation | For patients with end stage organ disease, transplantation with a donor organ may be the only alternative to maintain life. Some of the organs that may be transplanted include the kidney, liver and heart. Roche has a long-term commitment to improving the success rate of organ transplantation while enhancing the health and quality of life of those who have transplants. Our products are designed to support the long-term survival of transplanted organs without compromising patients' health and quality of life in other ways. CellCept is a medicine that suppresses the body's immune response after organ transplantation, reducing the incidence of organ rejection. Antiviral agents such as Cymevene and Valcyte help to prevent and treat infections such as cytomegalovirus which occur when the immune response is impaired. Roche were also involved in the development of the first monoclonal antibody used in kidney transplantation, Zenapax. | New Zealand's first kidney transplant occurred in 1965. Heart transplants were started in 1987 and liver transplants in 1998. Almost 150 organs from 40 donors were transplanted in 2003 with success rates comparable to international figures.
At a rate of 10 donors per million of population, the New Zealand donor rate is considered to be low. About 400 New Zealanders are currently waiting for transplants |
CYMEVENE® CELLCEPT® VALCYTE® |
| Weight Management | Weight management is more than just a cosmetic problem. Numerous studies conducted over recent years show that the number of overweight or obese people has increased and continues to grow at significant rates. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index for weight that is commonly used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults. People with a BMI of 30 or more carry excessive body fat which can contribute to an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers. Roche New Zealand was one of the first countries to launch Xenical in 1998. Xenical interferes with the activity of an enzyme in the gut that breaks down dietary fat before it is absorbed into the body. This prevents the absorption of one third of the fat eaten in a meal. Everyone on Xenical has access to individualised support via the Xenical Support Programme which is run by New Zealand registered dietitians. The programme helps people learn to recognise the hidden fats in their diet and encourages them to increase their physical activity. These skills help people maintain a healthy weight so they no longer require the extra assistance from Xenical. | According to the 1997 National Nutrition Survey, 17% of adult New Zealanders are obese, and 35% are overweight. This means that one in two New Zealanders are overweight or obese. Obesity levels in the New Zealand adult population increased from 11% in 1989 to 17% in 1997 to 20% in 2003 and are projected to increase to 29% by 2011. One of the most common health problems associated with excess weight is type 2 diabetes. Excess weight is recognised as the most important modifiable risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. More than 90 percent of all people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Excess weight contributed to 3,154 deaths (11% of all deaths) in 1997. | XENICAL® |
To learn more about the disease areas Roche is involved in, visit the Roche Health Kiosk at www.health-kiosk.ch.