Hoffmann-La Roche

Hoffmann-La Roche (pronounced: Hoff-man La Rosh) is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its headquarters are located in Basel. The company controls the American biotechnology company Genentech, which is a wholly owned affiliate, and the Japanese biotechnology company Chugai Pharmaceuticals, as well as the United States-based Ventana. Roche's revenues during fiscal year 2018 were 56.85 billion Swiss francs. Roche is the second-largest pharmaceutical company worldwide.

Etymology

The company was founded by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche in 1896. The hyphen in Hoffmann-La Roche represents the marriage between Fritz Hoffmann and Adele La Roche.

Related Terms

Pharmaceuticals: The branch of medicine concerned with the development and manufacture of medicinal drugs.
Diagnostics: The process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs.
Genentech: A leading biotechnology company, Genentech, Inc. is considered the founder of the industry. It was purchased by Roche in 2009.
Chugai Pharmaceuticals: A Japan-based pharmaceutical company, it is one of Japan's largest drug companies. Roche acquired a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceuticals in 2002.
Ventana: A leading provider of systems, reagents and software used in pathology labs. It was acquired by Roche in 2008.
Biotechnology: The use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use".