NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Roche today reported flat molecular diagnostics sales for the first nine months of 2013 compared to the first nine months of 2012.
The Swiss pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and research products firm posted overall sales of CHF 34.87 billion ($38.63 billion) for the nine months ended Sept. 30, up 3 percent from CHF 33.69 for the first nine months of 2012.
Its diagnostics sales were up 2 percent to CHF 7.68 billion from CHF 7.50 billion.
Within the Diagnostics Division, the firm's molecular diagnostics sales were flat year over year at CHF 1.19 billion, but up 2 percent at constant exchange rates. Roche said that MDx sales were driven by its human papillomavirus tests, real-time qPCR reagents, and oncology companion diagnostic tests. Growth, however, was offset by declines in the firm's sequencing business.
As reported by GenomeWeb Daily News earlier this week, Roche is shutting down its 454 Life Sciences sequencing operations and laying off about 100 employees. The firm said the 454 sequencers will be phased out by mid-2016.
Roche, however, is not exiting the genomic sequencing market. Last month it forged a deal for up to $75 million with Pacific Biosciences to develop diagnostic products based on PacBio's SMRT technology.
Sales for Roche's Pharmaceutical division climbed 4 percent year over year to CHF 27.19 billion from CHF 26.20 billion.