- Sustainability is an integral part of Roche’s business strategy
- The company performed particularly well in Marketing Practices, Environmental and Social Reporting and Health Outcome Contribution
Basel, 13 September 2018 – For the tenth consecutive year, Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) has been recognised as the most sustainable company in the Pharmaceuticals index of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). This is based on an in-depth analysis of economic, social and environmental performance. The DJSI family of indices serves as a benchmark for investors who integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios.
Roche has maintained its leadership through its excellent sustainability strategy, which is fully embedded in the company’s business and culture.
“We are proud of being recognised once again for our sustainability efforts,” says Roche CEO Severin Schwan. “Our most important contribution to society is the development of medicines and diagnostics that significantly improve people’s lives. Open and constructive dialogue with other companies, universities, doctors and patients plays an essential role here in understanding the needs of our partners in the healthcare sector and enabling us to work together to develop more targeted medical solutions faster.”
One example is Roche’s partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). Since 2010, Roche has been actively supporting the Parkinson’s Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) as part of a collaboration between companies, non-profit organisations and private individuals. Through this partnership, Roche will soon start to offer study participants access to its digital biomarker platform, which monitors symptoms of disease progression. The anonymised data collected by the technology will be published by the PPMI publicly on a regular basis, for the whole research community – including Roche’s competitors – to access. The hope is that by doing this, we will be able to better investigate disease progression, speed up clinical development and improve the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
By helping to accelerate clinical studies and get urgently needed treatments to patients faster, partnerships like this one are essential to the advancement of medicine.
Sustainability at Roche
For over 120 years, sustainability has been an integral part of Roche’s business. Roche follows a holistic approach when managing sustainability: In addition to improving access to products, the company’s strategy also focuses on achieving continuous progress in areas such as social responsibility, environmental protection, supply chain sustainability, people attraction and retention.
Roche makes its biggest contribution to society by improving healthcare provision. It does so by developing the best diagnostic tests and medicines capable of meeting some of the world’s most pressing medical needs.
Roche is aware that this cannot be done alone. The company knows that the key to creating sustainable value and growth lies in partnering with stakeholders and engaging in open, constructive dialogue. By doing so, Roche not only generates value for society through its medicines and technology but achieves sustainable economic growth for itself.
Examples of our activities in sustainability areas can be found here:
www.roche.com/sustainability
About the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)
This global ranking is published annually by the S&P Dow Jones Indices and RobecoSAM and measures the performance of the world’s sustainability leaders. RobecoSAM invites over 3,400 publicly traded companies to participate. Companies are selected for the indices according to a systematic Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) performed by RobecoSAM. Only firms that lead their industries based on this assessment are included in the indices. This is determined by a comprehensive assessment of long-term economic, environmental and social criteria that take account of general as well as industry-specific sustainability trends.
About Roche
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.
Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.
Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. Thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the tenth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as the most sustainable company in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2017 employed about 94,000 people worldwide. In 2017, Roche invested CHF 10.4 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 53.3 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.
For more information, please visit www.roche.com.
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Roche Group Media Relations
Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche-global.com
– Nicolas Dunant (Head)
– Patrick Barth
– Ulrike Engels-Lange
– Simone Oeschger
– Anja von Treskow
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