Roche NimbleGen Array Sales Rise 44 Percent in '09

Hits:2009   Date: 2/11/2010

Sales of Roche NimbleGen arrays rose 44 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, fueled by "continued strong performance" of Roche NimbleGen's sequence capture arrays as well as the introduction of its high-throughput MS 200 microarray scanner, according to the firm, the company said this week.

Roche does not break out revenue numbers for its individual businesses, but said that Roche NimbleGen sales were "nearly four times the global array market growth rate."

The Madison, Wis.-based company's sequence capture arrays are used to capture targeted sequences for sequencing on Roche 454 Life Science's GS FLX system or other high-throughput sequencers.

Roche also said that sales of DNA sequencing reagents grew 26 percent year over year, but that overall sales of DNA sequencing systems were flat "due to the economic downturn and the resulting decline in research funding, particularly in the US."

The Swiss company believes the introduction of a benchtop version of the GS FLX later this year will help revive sales.

Roche's full-year 2009 sales of its molecular diagnostic products rose 2 percent to CHF 1.18 billion ($1.11 billion).

Roche's Applied Science business, which includes its life-science tools such as NimbleGen and 454 Life products, are part of the firm's Diagnostics Division, whose revenue grew 12 percent year over year to CHF 870 million ($820.9 million).

The Diagnostics Division, which also includes Professional Diagnostics, and Diabetes Care, among other segments, brought in total 2009 revenues of CHF 10.10 billion ($9.53 billion), up 4 percent from 2008.

Overall, revenue at the Roche Group grew 8 percent to CHF 49.10 billion ($46.35 billion), boosted by 8 percent growth in its Pharmaceuticals Division. Its full-year net profit dropped, however, 22 percent to CHF 8.51 billion ($8.06 billion), due primarily to costs associated with its takeover of Genentech.