Roche, a leading innovation-driven healthcare group, is investing USD 155 million in a new state-of-the-art PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Manufacturing Center located in Branchburg, New Jersey covering about 285,000 square feet. Phase 1 of the project is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2004 with subsequent phases targeted for the facility to be fully operational by 2006. This new facility will employ approximately 800 people.

"Today's groundbreaking ceremony represents a major milestone for our future business," said Heino von Prondzynski, Head of the Diagnostics Division and Member of the Roche Executive Committee. "This significant investment demonstrates our commitment to developing new products which address the future demands of the international healthcare community. The increased capacity of the new facility will allow for the anticipated growth especially for the blood screening and women's health product areas."

"The new facility is being built to provide the manufacturing and supply functions for Roche Molecular Systems' industry-leading PCR diagnostic kits. It has been designed to further optimize productivity, enhance product flow efficiencies and the continued delivery of world-class quality PCR products. It will allow us to consolidate all functions currently operating in New Jersey (Belleville, Totowa and Branchburg) to one location," explained Heiner Dreismann, Head of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. during the ceremony.

The facility will include a one-story manufacturing facility, a short-term warehousing area, a packaging area and a utility area. A two-story office building will be connected to house manufacturing operations personnel.

In New Jersey, Roche Diagnostics produces 337 different kits for the research, IVD (In Vitro Diagnostics) and blood screening markets. The diagnostics kits are used for the detection and quantification of infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as for blood screening, including the West Nile Virus kit1, which is currently in clinical trials at various locations in the US and Canada. The production range also includes reagents for a variety of diagnostic platforms, including AmpliChip microarray technology. Overall Branchburg produces around 130,000 kits per month, which are distributed worldwide. Kit volumes in Branchburg have grown about 20 per cent during the last one and a half-years due to both new products and increases in existing products. In 2002 Roche Molecular Diagnostics, a business area of Roche Diagnostics, posted a 19 per cent sales increase in local currencies and reached sales of close to one billion Swiss francs.