Roche Reports First-Ever Sales Decline Amid Severe COVID-19 Impact

By Baihuawen

On July 23, Roche announced its financial results for the first half of 2020. Total sales amounted to CHF 29.3 billion, a 4% decrease year-on-year, with Pharmaceutical Division sales totaling CHF 23.2 billion, also down 4% year-on-year.

Roche was severely impacted by COVID-19 in Q2 2020, with sales revenue experiencing negative growth for the first time, declining by 4%. In particular, sales revenue dropped sharply by 15% in May.

Roche’s “Big Three”—Avastin (bevacizumab), Rituxan (rituximab), and Herceptin (trastuzumab)—have all experienced significant sales declines due to the impact of biosimilars. In the first half of 2020, Avastin’s global sales amounted to CHF 2.845 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 18%, with sales in the U.S. market plunging by 33%. Rituxan’s global sales reached CHF 2.440 billion, down 23% year on year, including a 34% decline in the European market. Herceptin’s global sales totaled CHF 2.200 billion, representing a 28% year-on-year decrease, with sales in the U.S. market dropping by 42%.

Roche's Top 20 Drug Sales in H1 2020 (CHF billion)

On the other hand, Roche’s newly approved products in recent years have all demonstrated strong performance. Perjeta (pertuzumab) generated sales of CHF 1.941 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 17%. The PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq, driven by its broad indications in small-cell lung cancer and triple-negative breast cancer, achieved sales of CHF 1.297 billion, representing a 74% growth. Despite being significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus and the hemophilia drug Hemlibra still recorded growth rates of 25% and 94%, respectively.

Although Actemra (tocilizumab) has not been approved for the COVID-19 indication, its inclusion in treatment guidelines in some countries contributed to first-half sales of CHF 1.461 billion, representing a 36% increase.