Roche Diagnostics Makes Contribution to the Foundation for America's Blood Centers

Washington D.C. -- Roche Diagnostics, the world leader in in vitro diagnostics, today made a $100,000 contribution to the Foundation for America's Blood Centers, the arm of America's Blood Centers (ABC) working to increase awareness about the importance of volunteer blood donations. The donation will be earmarked for the Foundation's corporate campaign, a 3-year funding initiative to raise $3 to 5 million to support national public education programs.

"Roche Diagnostics is making this gift in order to sustain special programs of the Foundation that help educate Americans on the need for blood donations," said Dick Aderman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Roche Diagnostics Corporation. "We are pleased to support national public education and promotion programs to raise awareness of the nation's need for a safe and stable blood supply."

"We are honored by Roche's continuing support of our work," said Barbara Kain, President, Foundation of America's Blood Centers. "Roche Diagnostics has played a significant role in the development and success of My Blood, Your Blood, a widely disseminated education program that targets the next generation of donors, and has supported ABC's Member Donor Initiative cooperative advertising program."

Roche Diagnostics' COBASâ AmpliScreenâ System, along with Roche's COBAS AmpliScreen HCV (Hepatitis C Virus), version 2.0 and the COBAS AmpliScreen HIV-1 test, version 1.5 have all been recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and are used by America's Blood Centers to screen blood donations for the presence of the HCV and HIV-1 RNA viruses. The ABC's international network of local, non-profit, community blood centers collects nearly half of the U.S. blood supply and a quarter of the Canadian blood supply.

In addition, Roche Diagnostics also recently announced installation of its West Nile virus blood screening systems at leading North American blood centers, in preparation for clinical trials scheduled to begin on or before July 1. The test, which uses Roche's Nobel Prize winning polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to amplify the genetic material of West Nile virus to detectable levels, represents an important step in helping blood banks ensure the safety of blood and blood products used in transfusions and other medical procedures.

About Foundation for America's Blood Centers

The Foundation for America's Blood Centers is a 501 (c) (3) public education organization dedicated to help ensure a safe and adequate blood supply for all Americans. The Foundation provides funding for educational programs that promote and raise awareness of the need for volunteer blood donation for members of America's Blood Centers' national network of community blood centers.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading innovation-driven healthcare groups. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is number one in the global diagnostics market, the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for cancer and a leader in virology and transplantation. As a supplier of products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche employs approximately 62,000 people in 150 countries. The Group has alliances and research and development agreements with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. 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 world-wide. For further information, please visit our websites www.roche.com and www.roche-diagnostics.com.