Philadelphia, Pa., July 22, 2003

Roche Diagnostics' Tiffany Olson Speaks About "Bringing Healthcare Innovation to the Marketplace" at Women in Biotechnology Meeting

At the Women in Biotechnology Meeting today at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Tiffany Olson, Vice President of Molecular Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, will speak about "Bringing Healthcare Innovation to the Marketplace".

In her role at Roche Diagnostics, Olson is responsible for the sales, marketing and support of Roche's Molecular Diagnostics product in the United States, which includes a product portfolio that includes use of PCR, a Nobel Prize winning technology and accounts for a variety of diagnostics tests from HIV to women's health. She has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, including positions at Baxter Health Care and Wallace Laboratories, and started her own consulting company including a non-profit association in the hearing health industry, which gives her a unique perspective about the market.

The following are excerpts from her remarks:

"We're extremely fortunate to be working in the industry during this incredibly dynamic and exciting period, which is, I believe, only at the early stages of what is nothing less than a biotechnological revolution…Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s polymerase chain reaction (PCR) helped molecular pathology to evolve. PCR is the enabling technology that is largely responsible for today's genetic revolution…"

Roche will be celebrating the 20-year anniversary of PCR at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry meeting this week. The pioneering advancements in PCR, the world's leading nucleic acid technology, have helped in the detection of viral diseases like HIV, Hepatitis C, anthrax, and recently, SARS.

"In 1991 Roche purchased of all patents associated with PCR. Recognizing the power of PCR, Roche's vision was to commercialize this technology for a reliable (reproducible), convenient, easy-to-use automation system. Bringing the technology out of research and into clinical laboratories…"

Two major world health concerns are being addressed by Roche's PCR technology. Just last week, Roche Diagnostics announced the worldwide launch of a research product designed to detect the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The test was developed in only eight weeks, the shortest development time ever for a research product at Roche. It is based on Roche's patented real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which is already used worldwide in a wide variety of clinical and research applications. In addition, Roche's TaqScreen™ West Nile Virus Test, currently in clinical studies under an Investigational New Drug Application, is the first North American nucleic acid blood screening system introduced to fully automate specimen processing, amplification, and detection, important features for testing sites trying to keep up with increased screening requirements.

"In May, we released a new assay for clinical trials to detect West Nile virus in donated blood. This was done in less than nine months from the time the FDA first approached us with their desire to keep the blood supply as safe as possible. Although mosquitoes remain the most common means of transmission of these viruses, blood transfusions and tissue donations can also transmit the disease. I'm happy to say that the Roche Diagnostics' assay was the first test able to positively screen out WNV in a sample of donated blood thus preventing its transmission."

About Women in Biotechnology
Women in Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary business organization that serves women by providing educational content, social interaction for exchange of ideas and a networking forum. We organize meetings around conventions relevant to our field, host regional gatherings and offer other networking tools as well as educational resources through our web site, www.womeninbiotechnology.com.

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 roughly 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.

TaqScreen is a trademark of a member of the Roche Group.