Roche to focus on disease biology areas to enhance alignment of r&d

Roche is to introduce a new operating model for its global r&d activities, organised around disease biology areas (DBAs). Each DBA will cover the whole range of activities - from r&d to strategic marketing - in a specific therapeutic field.

Disease Biology Area Leadership Teams (DBLTs) will be co-located in Basel, Nutley and Palo Alto. In an integrated approach, they will manage compounds from drug discovery through to medical proof of concept, with oversight through to the market.

DBAs will be created for five therapeutic areas:

• Oncology, DBLT based in Nutley, New Jersey, US
• Virology, DBLT based in Palo Alto, California, US
• Inflammation, DBLT based in Palo Alto, California, US
• Metabolism, DBLT based in Basel, Switzerland
• Central nervous system, DBLT based in Basel, Switzerland

By simplifying and accelerating the multiple decision-making processes involved, Roche believes the model will be more efficient and effective in translating research activity in each therapeutic area into clinically differentiated medicines. It will also enable the Group's growing number of development projects to be integrated more quickly, the company says.

In addition to Basel, Nutley and Palo Alto, all other current research sites in the Roche network will continue to play an important role in creating innovation. Therapeutic protein research will be intensified at the Penzberg site in Germany, and in Shanghai, China, Roche will expand its r&d activities, supporting the DBAs worldwide.

'We're taking the opportunity to refocus at a time of economic strength on the challenges that lie ahead,' said William M. Burns, pharmaceuticals division ceo. 'New structures and flatter hierarchies will enable us to be more aligned and focused, take decisions faster, implement ideas more rapidly, and bring more new products through the pipeline'.