ZURICH (Reuters) – Thomas Schenker, CEO of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, was quoted by a Swiss newspaper on Sunday as saying that the company was not planning to cut jobs and that its business was healthy.
Roche's stock price fell well below its peak in April 2022, and the CEO was questioned about the company's hiring plans in the context of recent setbacks in developing drugs to treat cancer, among other diseases.
“The number of workers is flat to slightly increasing,” Schenker told NZZ am Sonntag in an interview when asked if the company was planning layoffs.
“I can say with certainty that we have a very healthy business. We don't have a growth problem either,” he said, noting that Roche's research and development budget is stable and not growing.
In response to a question about when Roche's planned anti-obesity drug will be put on the market, Schenker said it could be around 2029 or earlier.
Addressing the broader outlook for next year, particularly in light of the recent difficulties facing the German economy, the Roche CEO said Europe still faces challenges.
“There is some economic growth in the United States, but things are more difficult in China right now,” he said. “And in Europe it will take some time before we get out of this.”
