Roche Diagnostics to establish its Middle East regional headquarters in Jafza

Diagnostics Company looks to expand current market share in MENA Region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, January 28th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

Roche Diagnostics, diagnostic division of global healthcare company Roche announced that it will set up its Middle East headquarters in Jafza and commence operations next month. The announcement was made on the sidelines of healthcare exhibition and medical congress, Arab Health in Dubai today (xxx)

Although the global market leader in in-vitro diagnostics has been present in the Middle East region for more than 30 years, the Regional Headquarters in Jafza will be Roche Diagnostics’ first facility in the Middle East.

Through a strong distributor network, Roche Diagnostics has a presence in 18 markets in the Middle East with a 20-25% market share in all of these markets. Recognising the potential of the Middle East region, Roche Diagnostics seeks to increase the quality of supply and strengthen relations with distributors and end customers by providing added support and information. In the UAE, Roche Diagnostics enjoys a continuous relationship with its long-term distributor Pharmatrade through 30 years.

Ibrahim Aljanahi, Deputy CEO, Jafza and Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are pleased to host a respected Fortune 500 Company such as Roche at Jafza. Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with an impressive regional presence and we believe Jafza’s unmatched connectivity, logistics and commercial advantages will support its growth in the region. The new facility will be well positioned to serve the Roche’s growing customer base andhelp it further expand its regional footprint and market share. The new move reflects the company’s trust and confidence in Jafza and we extend our full support to Roche.”

“The Middle Eastern region is a very important part of our business. We see a tremendous potential for growth in the Middle East. Therefore, we decided to open our regional headquarters in Dubai as a hub to serve our Middle Eastern countries. I am very happy about this step. The unique combination of world-class port and airport facilities was one of the most significant reasons behind the decision to locate the Roche Diagnostics’ Middle East HQ in Jafza. Jafza is one of the leading drivers in the UAE economy and Roche Diagnostics will benefit from the advantages that come with being part of a growing business community.” says Dr. Michael Heuer, President EMEA-LATAM, Roche Diagnostics.

Roche Diagnostics, Middle East will serve distribution partners and customers across the region by setting up functions for scientific and technical support, management, administration, logistics and quality control. The office will be located in Jafza 15 and expects to see 50 employees working in the Middle East Regional Headquarters by 2013.

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About Jafza

Jafza is Economic Zones World’s flagship operation. One of the world’s largest and the fastest growing free zones, Jafza is gateway to the Middle East, Africa and South Asian markets. Supported with excellent multi-modal logistics facilities, it offers customers excellent connectivity to reach the rapidly growing markets of over 2 billion people. Established in 1985, Jafza today is spread over an area of 57 sq. km and is home to over 6700 companies, including over 120 of the Fortune Global 500 enterprises, from across the world. It is a leading driver of the burgeoning UAE economy. With its impeccable track record, Jafza stands for innovation, customer centricity, transparent operations and entrepreneurial dynamism. For more information, visit www.jafza.ae.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche’s personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2010, Roche had over 80’000 employees worldwide and invested over 9 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www.roche.com.

Contacts

Adeti Changulani,

Hasaad Communications

Mob: +971 50 429 5576

adeti.changulani@hasaad.ae



Roche Diagnostics contact

Jane Prospero

Head of Communications EMEA-LATAM

jane.prospero@roche.com



Janne Nielsen

Communications Officer, Middle East

Janne.nielsen@roche.com