Roche to boost R&D spend, reorganize research

Roche plans to boost R&D spending while restructuring its research work around the globe. No precise figures were given for the new R&D spending, but Roche officials said they would hike budgets beyond the $4.8 billion spent in 2006. Roche also wants to concentrate its development work around five centers that would combine their efforts on development, regulatory work and marketing of new drugs. Work on cancer drugs will be based in Nutley, NJ while virology and inflammation is being concentrated in Palo Alto, CA. Metabolic therapies will be developed in Basel, Switzlerland. Therapeutic protein research will be intensified at the Penzberg site in Germany, and in Shanghai, China.

"We're taking the opportunity to refocus at a time of economic strength on the challenges that lie ahead", says 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".

- see the release [1]
- here's the AP report [2] on Roche's plans

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