What began as a small business staffed by only a few scientists has evolved into a vast international research enterprise. Today, Roche has six major pharmaceutical research centers located on three continents. In Nutley, N.J., the emphasis is on oncology and metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes; in Palo Alto, Calif., scientists focus on inflammation and diseases related to the peripheral nervous system; in Basel, Switzerland (global headquarters), central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular diseases and bacterial infections; in Welwyn, England, virology; in Kamakura, Japan, microbial metabolites and anti-fungal chemotherapy; and in Penzberg, Germany, oncology. While separated geographically, these centers and the many scientists that occupy them share a common vision - to discover novel and innovative therapies to meet medical needs of patients around the world.

During its century-long history, Roche has pioneered major advances in nutrition, disease diagnostics and the development of novel pharmaceuticals. For example, in the 1930s, a Roche scientist, Dr. Otto Isler, was the first to synthesize vitamin E. Also during this decade, Dr. Tadäus Reichstein, a Nobel Prize winner, first synthesized vitamin C and brought his process to Roche. These developments enabled the company to innovate vitamin production methods while making them affordable and accessible to the public at large.

Roche introduced antimicrobials in the 1940s, and in the 1950s, created a breakthrough medicine, Rimifon, that TIME magazine called "the wonder drug" for the scourge of tuberculosis. Late in the 50s, Roche chemist Dr. Leo Sternbach discovered the revolutionary class of compounds called benzodiazepines, including Librium® (chlordaizepoxide HCl) and Valium^® (diazepam), ushering in a new age of psychopharmacology. It was Roche, too, that led the way to biotechnology in the 1980s with the first genetically-engineered product to enter human trials, alpha interferon.

And in the 90s, Roche was the first company to introduce a drug in the protease inhibitor class of HIV/AIDS treatments with the launch of Invirase^® (saquinavir). The decade also witnessed major Roche advances in the prevention of organ transplant rejection. Two breakthrough anti-rejection pharmaceuticals, CellCept^® (mycophenolate mofetil) and Zenapax^® (Daclizumab), have produced dramatic improvements in the quality of life for organ recipients.