The globally leading pharmaceutical and diagnostic company Roche said that it has long-term confidence in the Chinese market, and will continue its efforts to promote the research and development of innovative drugs, according to the company's CEO.

Swiss pharma giant Roche was the first foreign company to be registered in Pudong's Zhangjiang Pharma Valley in 1994, and after 28 years of development, Roche has established a complete pharmaceutical value industrial chain in Zhangjiang.

The group established a research and development (R&D) center in Pudong in 2004, which was the first to be established by a multinational pharmaceutical company in Shanghai. In October 2019, Roche upgraded the center into the Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, making it the company's third global R&D center following the establishment of its regional headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and in San Francisco California in the United States.

According to official data, more than 290 invention patents had been generated in the new center as of the end of June, and more than half of them had been granted patents in China, the United States, the European Union or Japan. Up to now, the center has cooperated with relevant global R&D departments, and nine new drug molecules are undergoing clinical trials.

This May, Roche Pharma China announced that its innovative drug, a new version of C5 complement inhibitor, is expected to make its debut in China soon.

"The launch of the innovative drug reflects Roche's firm commitment to serving Chinese patients, and showcases its confidence in the continuous optimization of the R&D environment for innovative drugs," said Vivian Bian, CEO of Roche Pharma China.

The group said that it will take root in Pudong and accelerate innovation-driven development to enable the launch of more innovative drugs in China.