ROG.SW

Roche Holding AG

A Swiss healthcare giant headquartered in Basel, Roche makes prescription medicines and diagnostic tools used by hospitals, doctors, and patients worldwide. Its well-known products include the cancer drugs Herceptin and Avastin, the flu treatment Tamiflu, and the Accu-Chek line of blood glucose meters for people with diabetes. The company was founded in 1896 by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, who took his wife Adèle's maiden name as part of his own — a Swiss custom of the time — and gave the firm the name F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. He was inspired to build the business after witnessing a cholera outbreak in Hamburg, convinced that standardized, scientifically made medicines could fight disease.