Roche’s case analysis questions 1. Why is Roche seeking to acquire 44% of Genentech it does not own? From Roche’s point of view, what are the advantages of owing 100% of Genentech? What are the risks?
Answer 1:
The following are the advantages for Roche which will accrue by owning 100% of Genentech: * Genentech in the current form had become an important part of Roche’s business, accounting for 24% of Roche’s pharmaceutical product sales in 2008. Several of Genentech’s pioneering products had achieved very strong market positions due to their medical differentiation, commanding high prices. Products originating from Genentech represented 46% of total sales of Roche’s 20 top-selling drugs on a worldwide basis. For example, Avastin, which was the best selling Genentech drug accounted for 14% of Roche’s total pharmaceutical sales in 2008. * Biotechnology industry around that time was much smaller and less mature than the pharmaceutical industry, but was growing much faster rate. It generated $89.7 billion in revenues in USA along. Since Genentech along with Amgen were the dominant players in the sector, it could corner a major portion of this market. * Genentech was increasingly coming into direct competition with Roche in several U.S. markets. In developing small molecular products, Genentech had begun to encroach on Roche’s traditional territory, while Roche was preparing to launch products in the U.S. that would compete with existing Genentech products. A merger of the two companies would create the ability to collaborate on a worldwide scale. * Outside of R&D, Roche managers believed there was increasing duplication of effort and facilities at the two companies and, thus, opportunities to create value by cutting costs and streamlining operations throughout the acquisition. * Beginning in 2007, Genentech began to generate large amounts