oche to Continue as Exclusive Corporate Sponsor

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Roche announced today that it willcontinue as the exclusive corporate sponsor of the Juvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation (JDRF) Bag of Hope Program. The JDRF is a leader in setting theagenda for diabetes research worldwide and is the largest charitable funderand advocate of diabetes research worldwide.

Through the Bag of Hope Program, JDRF provides information, devices andemotional support tools to families of children who are newly diagnosed withtype 1 diabetes. Bags are distributed through healthcare professionals, bylocal JDRF chapters or in person by JDRF outreach volunteers.

ACCU-CHEK(R) blood glucose testing kits and educational literature will beincluded in the Bag of Hope throughout the United States in 2009. Roche hasbeen the exclusive sponsor of the JDRF program since 2003, providing nearly $6million in cumulative support to date. In addition to the blood glucose meter,the bag contains educational books and tools as well as Rufus, the Bear withDiabetes. Rufus has become an emotional support for children with diabetes,and the bear's special patches teach children with type 1 diabetes about thecorrect sites for insulin injection.

"The JDRF Bag of Hope Program is a tremendous initiative that helps newlydiagnosed children and their families ease the transition to better diabetesmanagement," said Roche Director of Patient Marketing Linda Esposito. "Rocheis committed to helping children with diabetes and their families maximizetheir quality of life and minimize long-term health challenges. We are proudto be an integral part of this incredible JDRF program again this year and arepleased we can make this announcement during National Diabetes AwarenessMonth."

"We are grateful for the ongoing support provided by Roche, which enablesJDRF to offer this valuable resource to newly diagnosed families. We applaudtheir generosity, especially in these difficult economic times, andacknowledge that JDRF outreach programs and services are greatly enhanced asthe result of their efforts," said Leo Mullin, Chairman of the Board for JDRF."The Bag of Hope has become a touch point and a lifeline for families ofchildren dealing with a diagnosis of diabetes," said Moira McCarthy Stanford,JDRF's National Volunteer Chair of Outreach. "Rufus and the other goodies thatRoche makes available to families in the Bag of Hope are all wonderful toolsthat will soothe, support and motivate families during their time of need."

Through this partnership, approximately 12,000 Bags of Hope will bedistributed to newly diagnosed families nationwide in 2009 through theoutreach programs of more than 80 local JDRF chapters.

About JDRF

JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide andis the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The missionof JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through thesupport of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that strikes children andadults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or acontinuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a curefor diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications,which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke andamputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes,JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including morethan $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008, the foundation funded more than 1,000centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries.

About Roche Diabetes Care

Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the development of blood glucosemonitoring systems and a global leader for diabetes management systems andservices. For more than 30 years, the ACCU-CHEK brand has been committed tohelping people with diabetes live life as normally and actively as possible,as well as to help healthcare professionals manage their patients' conditionin an optimal way. Today, the ACCU-CHEK portfolio offers people with diabetesand healthcare professionals innovative products and services andcomprehensive solutions for convenient, efficient and effective diabetesmanagement, from blood glucose monitoring through information management toinsulin delivery. The ACCU-CHEK brand encompasses blood glucose meters,infusion pumps, lancing devices and data management systems.

For more information, please visit http://www.accu-chek.com .

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the Roche Group is one of the world'sleading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticalsand diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator ofproducts and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis andtreatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts toimproving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in invitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation and is a marketleader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas, suchas autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases ofthe central nervous system. In 2007, sales by the Pharmaceuticals Divisiontotaled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted salesof 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances withnumerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech andChugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide,the Group employs about 79,000 people. Additional information is available onthe Internet at http://www.roche.com .

For further information, please contact: Julie Vincent Roche Diagnostics Corporation 317-521-1910 julie.vincent@roche.com. Leslie Schwartz National Director, Media Relations Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 212.479.7553 lschwartz@jdrf.orgSOURCE Roche Diagnostics