Roche Diagnostics and Vanderbilt University Announce e-Health Strategy Contest for MBA Students

Competition Targeted at Innovative Ideas on e-Health Business Models
Winners to Receive Grand Prize of $25,000

Indianapolis, Indiana - November 22, 2002 - Roche Diagnostics' e-Business unit, located in Indianapolis, IN, and the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, are pleased to announce the opening of the 2003 eStrategy Contest. The competition starts
November 22 and is open to graduate students around the world, with the winning team taking home $25,000, to be awarded during the final round of competition in Nashville in February 2003. Details are available at the event website at www.estrategycontest.com.

"Roche Diagnostics is proud to be this year's primary corporate sponsor. As the world's leading provider of diagnostic systems and decision-oriented health information, we are committed to offering innovative e-Health solutions to patients, doctors, medical laboratories, and the life science industry," said Frank Cheng, Vice President, Roche Diagnostics' e-Business unit. "By focusing this year's eStrategy Contest on the e-Health topic, we have an excellent opportunity to tap into the creative minds of MBA students on a global basis. In addition to uncovering innovative e-Health strategies, this global event can help create some awareness of the future possibilities in the dynamic e-Health marketplace."

Vanderbilt University is ideally positioned to be the university sponsor, due to its e-Business leadership through its eLab Research Center, and the business school's close ties to numerous national healthcare organizations. The eStrategy contest has the highest grand prize award among all business school case competitions. This will be the contest's fourth year; previous corporate sponsors include Wal-Mart, AT&T, and Microsoft.

"We are delighted that Roche Diagnostics is sponsoring this important event," said Professor Bill Christie, Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. "We decided to focus the 2003 eStrategy Contest on e-Health, due to the rapid speed with which the Internet is transforming the healthcare industry. We believe the healthcare industry can benefit from the strategic insights from graduate students who truly understand the future of the Internet."

On November 22, 2002, the case will be released and made available on the contest website, located at www.estrategycontest.com. Teams entering the eStrategy contest must consist of three to five graduate students who are all currently enrolled full-time at the same college or university. At least one team member must be working toward a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Additional rules and guidelines are posted on the contest website.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-oriented healthcare groups. The company's two core businesses in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics provide innovative products and services that address prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, thus enhancing people's health and quality of life. The two core businesses employ about 57,000 employees worldwide. Roche's Diagnostics Division, the world leader in in vitro diagnostics with a uniquely broad product portfolio, supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals, and laboratories worldwide. Roche Diagnostics' North American headquarters are located in Indianapolis, IN. For further information, please visit our websites www.roche.com and www.roche-diagnostics.com.