OREANDA-NEWS.  Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that new Esbriet® (pirfenidone) data analyses in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) will be presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) congress in Amsterdam, 26-30 September 2015. Roche is supporting nine different abstracts on IPF data. In addition, Roche is sponsoring two medical symposia to explore treatment strategies in IPF and to highlight the importance of personalised medicines for people with severe asthma.

“Roche is committed to bringing transformative medicines to people with severe respiratory diseases,” said Sandra Horning, M.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “Our focus at this meeting will be on new data with Esbriet in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and the emerging science on the importance of personalised medicines for severe asthma.”

Roche research being presented as part of the ERS 2015 scientific programme and ongoing respiratory research will be showcased during the Roche media event from 13:15–14:30 CEST on Tuesday, 29 September, 2015, at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre ERS Press Conference Room. Leading experts will speak about new IPF management guidelines and Esbriet clinical data and the need for personalised medicines for severe uncontrolled asthma patients. This event, independently organised by Roche, is open to European journalists who have registered as media with the ERS congress 2015.

Roche will also hold two educational symposia on IPF and Type 2 asthma. The first, entitled “Strategies to improve treatment outcomes in IPF,” will be held on Sunday, 27 September, from 17:15-19:15 CEST in Room 5.2 at the congress centre. The second, entitled “Putting the spotlight on Type 2 biomarkers in severe asthma,” will take place on Monday, 28 September, from 17:15-19:15 CEST in Room 2.1.

About Roche in Respiratory Diseases

Roche is committed to transforming care for patients with severe respiratory diseases. The Roche Group’s 25 years of respiratory experience includes medicines such as XOLAIR (omalizumab) in severe asthma marketed by Genentech in the US, Pulmozyme (dornase alfa) for cystic fibrosis, and Esbriet (pirfenidone) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Lebrikizumab is in phase III clinical trials for severe uncontrolled asthma and targets IL-13. It reflects Roche’s personalised healthcare approach and includes periostin as a biomarker to identify those patients who are more likely to have a more severe disease and may better respond to treatment with lebrikizumab. Our leadership in bringing personalised healthcare to lung cancer patients includes Tarceva (erlotinib) as well as investigational medicines alectinib and atezolizumab. Avastin (bevacizumab) is also approved for use in lung cancer.

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, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche’s personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Founded in 1896, Roche has been making important contributions to global health for more than a century. Twenty-nine medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and chemotherapy.

In 2014, the Roche Group employed 88,500 people worldwide, invested 8.9 billion Swiss francs in R&D and posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.