After manufacturing the antibiotic Rocephin for four decades\u2014and developing it into one of the company\u2019s first blockbuster medicines\u2014Roche is looking to divest the treatment and its production facility near its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Roche is seeking a partner to take over the plant and continue production of the drug, also known as ceftriaxone sodium, which has faced generic competition over the last two decades. Local outlet AWP Financial News reported<\/a> the effort earlier this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision was made because production of Rocephin in Switzerland is becoming increasingly unsustainable due to the rising cost of manufacturing, the reduction in prices that governments are willing to pay for Rocephin and the widespread use of generics in many countries around the world,\u201d the company wrote in a statement to Fierce Pharma Manufacturing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Roche added that its divestment effort comes after unsuccessful discussions for two years with the European Commission\u2019s Health Emergency Response Authority and Switzerland\u2019s Bundesamt f\u00fcr Gesundheit \u201cto secure sustainable production at the site.\u201d<\/p>\n The company added that the divestment of the plant, which houses roughly 100 employees, will \u201cnot be complete before the end of the decade.\u201d<\/p>\n Roche also pointed out that it is not abandoning the antibiotics market nor diminishing its presence in Switzerland. Last year, the company revealed<\/a> plans to conduct a phase 3 trial of its novel antibiotic zosurabalpin<\/a> for carbapenem-resistant\u00a0acinetobacter baumannii.<\/p>\n \u201cWe stand by our strong commitment to developing new antibiotics and tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as well as to our sites in Switzerland,\u201d the company wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n The decision comes as European drugmakers are fleeing the market because regulatory and environmental pressures<\/a> have made production of generics less attractive. The departures have left the EU with a sourcing problem as it already relies heavily on products from China. Last month, the bloc passed<\/a> the Critical Medicines Act to increase competitiveness and tackle shortages.<\/p>\n