Strong demand for Roche's cancer portfolio helped the Swiss pharma company grow at more than three times the industry rate in the first half of this year.

Sales of its cancer drugs grew by nearly 50% in the six months to July, driving company-wide sales that increased by 16% to CHF 19.8 billion ($16 billion/8.6 billion).

With profits rising 37% to CHF 4.5 billion (2 billion pounds) in the period, chief executive Franz Humer said Roche had turned in another outstanding performance.

"Sales revenues grew organically by over CHF 3 billion, driven primarily by our leading oncology products, the influenza medicine Tamiflu and our diagnostic brands.

"We are developing many of our marketed products for additional indications that will help fuel future growth for the Roche Group."

Roche's oncology portfolio accounted for its three best-selling products: non-Hodgkins lymphoma treatment MabThera made first half sales of CHF 2.3 billion (999 million pounds); breast cancer drug Herceptin made CHF 1.8 billion (782 million pounds) in sales; and colon cancer treatment Avastin reached CHF 1.4 billion (608 million pounds).

Total cancer drugs sales grew by 48% in the period, during which Herceptin was approved for use in early-stage breast cancer, and the company is expanding its production capacity for the whole therapy area to cope with demand.

Production has also been increased for Roche's influenza treatment Tamiflu, which became a household name last year due to fears of a bird flu pandemic.

Roche is working with a number of other companies to increase production of the drug and says it will have the manufacturing capacity for 400 million treatment courses per year by the end of 2006.

pharmafocus@wiley.co.uk