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Roche Celebrates 10 Years of South Africa's ''Train of Hope'' As It Continues To Better The Lives Of Millions

Roche Celebrates 10 Years of South Africa's ''Train of Hope'' As It Continues To Better The Lives Of Millions

Published 12-02-04

Submitted by Roche

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Roche will join the American Friends of The Phelophepa Train in celebrating the health care train's 10th anniversary at a gala dinner tonight at the Manhattan Center in New York. The evening's International Dinner Chairman, Franz Humer, chairman and CEO of Roche, will help honor corporate leaders who have supported the Phelophepa Health Care Train, or "Train of Hope," which provides health care services and education in South Africa. Roche, the main external sponsor of the train in 2004, has supported the train since its inception in 1994.

"We are extremely proud to support the Phelophepa Health Care Train and celebrate the 10th anniversary of this unique South African project," Humer said. He called the initiative a "reflection of Roche's mission and philosophy to focus on the discovery and development of new and better treatments and to look for innovative ways to provide health care for people in areas where access is limited." Humer added, "The Phelophepa has touched the lives of millions. It is a shining example of how pragmatic people with an innovative idea can create a successful public-private partnership and deliver sustainable benefits in an area of pressing health care need."

Phelophepa (pronounced PAY-low-PEP-puh) means "good, clean health" in a combination of Tswana and Sotho. The Phelophepa is a 16-car train that travels for 36 weeks each year and has provided more than 1 million individuals with screenings, education and treatment in its various clinics.

WCBS-TV co-anchor Maurice DuBois will be the master of ceremonies at the anniversary dinner, recognizing the dedication of the following honorees: G. Richard Wagoner, chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation, Maureen Kempston Darkes, group vice president of Latin America, Africa and Mideast of General Motors Corporation, and Stephen Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on Africa. The success of the Phelophepa over the past decade has been made possible through support from Roche and other long-standing partners including Colgate-Palmolive, Citigroup Inc., the Coca-Cola Co., Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young and DiamlerChrysler Corporation. By uniting the skills of these companies with the American Friends of the Phelophepa Train and other supporters, the Phelophepa is able to provide a level of medical service that would not be possible through separate efforts.

"The Phelophepa Train is just one way in which we are demonstrating our responsibility to help patients who don't have access to quality medical care," said George Abercrombie, president and CEO of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., the company's U.S. prescription pharmaceuticals division. "It is our most important global humanitarian sponsorship project, and we look forward to many more years of this successful partnership."

"We are thankful for worldwide organizations, such as Roche, that are committed to supporting the Phelophepa Health Care Train," said Lillian Cingo, manager of the Phelophepa. "We are proud to recognize this important milestone of 10 years and the tremendous strides that have been made in helping to reverse the enormous disadvantages and anguish that affect the people of South Africa."

The train has traveled more than 3.5 million kilometers since its inception, and en route it has utilized and supported local clinics, hospitals, social workers and doctors - sometimes village healers - to reach out to the local communities and train more than 6,000 South African volunteers in its 5-day health programs. During the 36 weeks of its operation in 2004, the Phelophepa reached more than 360,000 individuals through the AIDS education program in the Eastern Cape, registered more than 46,000 patients in its clinics, reached almost 26,000 individuals through counseling workshops and screened more than 100,000 school children for health-related problems.

About Phelophepa
The Phelophepa has been described by its beneficiaries as "A Train of Hope" and "A Miracle Train," bearing testimony to the dire need for basic health care in South Africa. Additional information about the Phelophepa Health Care Train is available on its Web site at:
www.Phelophepa.co.za.

Corporate Philanthropy at Roche
The Phelophepa is also a good example of corporate philanthropy and social involvement at Roche. Operating in countries around the world, Roche works every day to enhance the quality of people's lives through supporting community projects, charitable contributions and collaborations and partnerships with non-profit organizations. Good corporate citizenship at Roche is a multifaceted process of commitment and action in areas ranging from humanitarian aid, health promotion and education to environmental stewardship. Roche's contributions range from its very flexible price and patent policies to a number of social sponsorship programs the company supports. Details may be found at: http://www.roche-hiv.com/home/home.cfm

About Roche
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche), based in Nutley, N.J., is the U.S. prescription drug unit of the Roche Group, a leading research-based health care enterprise that ranks among the world's leaders in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche discovers, develops, manufactures and markets numerous important prescription drugs that enhance people's health, well-being and quality of life. Among the company's areas of therapeutic interest are: dermatology; genitourinary disease; infectious diseases, including influenza; inflammation, including arthritis;
metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes; neurology; oncology; osteoporosis; transplantation; vascular diseases; and virology, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

For more information on the Roche pharmaceuticals business in the United States, visit the company's web site at: http://www.rocheusa.com.

Roche

Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of drugs for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai.

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