In Morocco, Roche will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary. For several years now, Roche has had its regional management centre for North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) there; this centre is part of the Group’s EEMEA region (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa). With around a hundred staff in Morocco, and just over 300 staff in total in the region, Roche North Africa works in perfect harmony with headquarters, remaining aligned with the Group’s values and strategic orientations.
Personalisation, innovation and a priority on oncology
With a commercial presence in more than a hundred countries, the Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is an international company at the cutting edge of research and development of pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. Improving patients’ quality of life and life expectancy through scientific progress is at the heart of its concerns.
Bringing together pharmaceutical and diagnostic expertise under one roof, Roche is the leader in personalised medicine, an approach that makes it possible to offer the best possible treatment to each patient. A principle justified by the idea that “two patients with an identical diagnosis may react differently to a treatment”, explains Doctor Bart Vanhauwere, Managing Director of Roche North Africa.
In addition to being the leader in personalised medicine, Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. It is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and in the histological diagnosis of cancer, while also being at the forefront of diabetes management.
The company aims to improve patients’ access to medical innovations by working with all the relevant stakeholders. All these initiatives also stem from the Group’s values, namely Integrity, Courage and Passion, which have earned Roche its position as the undisputed leader in the healthcare sector.
Roche Maroc, a presence that has grown stronger over time…
Originally called “Produits Roche S.A”, its subsidiary Roche Maroc has grown and continued to expand, demonstrating a strong sense of commitment to the country. Through its various partnerships and its expertise in the field of health, Roche contributes effectively and sustainably to improving the healthcare system in Morocco, notably through numerous continuing education programmes for healthcare professionals, the development of clinical research, and the transfer of know-how to improve access to innovative products.
…committed to the fight against cancer
In a country where cancer affects more than 30,000 people every year, and given its expertise in the field, Roche Maroc deemed it necessary to mobilise to fight this disease. “Given the high cost of treatment and the inadequacy of prevention and detection programmes in the country, Roche has made its contribution to the Lalla Salma Foundation for the Fight against Cancer, with which it shares the same principles regarding cancer prevention and treatment”, stresses Dr Bart Vanhauwere. It is in this spirit that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Lalla Salma Foundation and Roche Maroc laboratories, giving low-income patients access to innovative medicines. Initiated in 2009 and still in force today, this programme enables more than 1500 patients a year to benefit from cancer therapies that meet international standards and protocols: “We make our contribution through our know-how and our innovative products, but also through our participation in targeted actions.”
Three questions for:
Dr Bart Vanhauwere,
Managing Director of Roche Maroc and Head of the North Africa Management Centre based in Casablanca.
We are almost at the end of the first half of the year. What is your assessment?
The assessment is positive: Roche’s turnover has increased and we are proud of it. This result is due, on the one hand, to the mobilisation of all our teams, whom we congratulate, and, on the other, to the confidence of Moroccans in the quality of the products we offer them. We are also delighted with the lasting partnerships we are building with the Health Authorities, the Lalla Salma Foundation and many other associations, which enable Roche Maroc to contribute to the development of oncology and also to promote access to innovative cancer products. For all these reasons, we remain very optimistic despite the competition.
What do you think of the economic relations between Switzerland and Morocco?
I find that relations are healthy and stable. I am not an economist, so I cannot say more (laughs). But I find that in the field of health, the actions and partnerships carried out between the two countries deserve to be commended and encouraged. Efforts are still needed in Morocco to improve compliance with standards and guarantee fair competition, by the rules, in the health sector… I warmly commend the initiatives carried out so far, even if the challenge remains significant.
A word about the CCSM?
I have only been in Morocco for 18 months, but I am aware that the CCSM has its role to play, in particular in fostering the development of exchanges between Swiss companies, the public authorities and the Moroccan administrations. Roche Maroc is a long-standing and active member of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Morocco.