Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Transforming research into tangible value and spreading it as a lifeblood throughout the country's socioeconomic system: this is the trajectory outlined by the second edition of the Roche Impact Study in Italy, conducted with the methodological support of PwC Italia and presented today in Rome during the institutional meeting "Roche's Impact and the Value of the Biotech Sector as a Driver of Development and Growth for Italy."
For every euro of direct added value generated by Roche in Italy, the overall impact on the national GDP is 2,8 euros. This multiplier effect also extends to employment, with 3,2 overall jobs supported throughout the supply chain and in related industries for each direct employee, and to clinical research, where every euro invested in sponsored studies generates an estimated saving of 2,82 euros for the National Health Service.
These three indicators "highlight how investments in innovation produce benefits that extend beyond the sector's scope, contributing to economic growth, the creation of skilled employment, citizen health, and the sustainability of public healthcare spending, generating value for society as a whole and the country system."
At the event, Roche announced that it had been awarded the Stamp for Best Participatory Practices, established by the National Council for Economy and Labor, and the 2026 Gender Equality Award, promoted by Assolombarda, Assolombarda Servizi Società Benefit, and the Steamiamoci Association.
The awards – as stated in the statement – certify the excellence of Roche's business models in promoting social dialogue and inclusion, as also highlighted in the Impact Study, which confirms the absence of a gender pay gap (Uni/PdR 125 certification) and, looking at direct employment, reveals that more than one in two employees is female (54%) and the active presence of four generations, with a share equal to 30% of young people under 40.
The CNEL specifically recognized three forms of participation: economic-financial, through a share ownership plan open to all employees on a voluntary basis; organizational, which relies on joint bodies dedicated to gender equality and diversity—the Commission particularly appreciated their longstanding commitment and structure—and consultative, which involves continuous listening to employees. "The Impact Study presented today," wrote Renato Brunetta, President of the CNEL, in a message read at the opening of the event, "describes a company where 78% of employees are graduates and where for every hour of mandatory training, 2,4 hours of non-mandatory training are completed. Where value comes from knowledge, involving employees in the company's decisions becomes a prerequisite for competitiveness. This is the 'participatory paradigm' in which the CNEL believes, an investment in productivity, the crux of our economy."
Following official greetings from the Swiss Ambassador to Italy, Roberto Balzaretti, and Claudio Durigon, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, the meeting featured a presentation by economist and university professor Tito Boeri. This was followed by a discussion with contributions from the General Managers of Roche SpA and Roche Diagnostics SpA, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Health, MIMIT, MUR, Farmindustria, Assobiotec, Confindustria Dispositivi medici, and the Bruno Leoni Institute. The speakers clearly outlined how the life sciences sector is at a strategic turning point.
"We appreciate the government's initial signals in the budget and the Consolidated Act, but the pace of reform is still too slow compared to the pace of international capital," says Amy VanBuskirk, new General Manager of Roche Spa. "The real risk for Italy is that of silent delocalization: with every day that passes without structural decisions, major investors choose other hubs. The data is unequivocal: according to the Altems study, bureaucratic delays in activating clinical centers alone have cost the country over 10.500 unenrolled patients and €180 million in lost healthcare benefits in three years. Added to this is a payback that saps vital liquidity precisely where the multiplier effect on research and skilled labor is greatest. To reverse this trend, bold decisions are needed: gradually eliminating the payback, imposing fixed timelines and single contracts for clinical trials, and rewarding those who choose to anchor added value, specialized employment, and a supply chain of local excellence in Italy."
Roche Italy will continue to be the second-largest pharmaceutical payback contributor in 2025, with a total of €178 million paid, equivalent to a full 7,5% of the entire national payback. The statement states: "Applying the Missed Opportunity analysis methodology conducted by Altems Università Cattolica in collaboration with Farmindustria to Roche's clinical research data, it emerges that faster study activation and optimized trial journey management would allow for more patients to be enrolled (+35% of the 34 sponsored interventional studies active in Lombardy in 2025, analyzed as a nationally representative sample) and generate savings of €1,4 million for the National Health Service. These data would add to the overall impact of Roche-sponsored research in Italy." There are 191 active interventional studies as of 2025, involving a total of 13.326 patients, across six therapeutic areas (cardiovascular and metabolic, hematology, immunology, neuroscience, ophthalmology, and oncology). The statement details that these studies are in addition to 36 observational studies and 25 Compassionate Use Programs (CUPs). This research activity also represents a lever for the sustainability of the healthcare system: with the 137 sponsored studies active as of 2025—of the 191 studies cited—a total savings for the National Health System (NHS) of €94,4 million has been estimated.
With 20 active studies promoted by Roche Diagnostics in 2025 and a total of 11.480 patients involved, diagnostics confirms its role as the compass for clinical decisions (guiding approximately 70%) and the main tool for orienting the NHS towards a preventative, proactive and personalized paradigm.
"It is with this awareness that we are constantly committed to generating not only clinical evidence, but also data with economic and organizational impact, offering healthcare decision-makers the tools necessary for the informed adoption of innovation. Because the value of diagnostics must not be measured only within the laboratory but throughout the patient's entire clinical journey," emphasizes Burçak Çelik, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Spa. "Italy represents a strategic market for our company. Despite clear institutional recognition of the value of our sector, included among the national strategic sectors, we continue to face severely penalizing measures, starting with the payback on medical devices. A system based on structurally underfunded spending caps forces private companies to cover up to 50% of regional overruns for the purchase of healthcare technologies: a mechanism that is no longer sustainable. Payback," he emphasizes, "is not a problem that affects only companies, but a real obstacle to the modernization of the National Health Service. To continue to guarantee citizens access to the most advanced diagnostic innovations, we must ensure that the national healthcare system is always up to date." "To address these challenges, it is essential to overcome this logic and establish clear and predictable governance. We therefore hope that Parliament will review the current budget law and that the Government will commit as soon as possible to a comprehensive and structural reform of the governance of medical devices, to protect public health and Italy's competitiveness in Europe."
The overall value generated by Roche in Italy fuels the country's industrial fabric across the board: with a €718 million impact on the national GDP, the company—the statement explains—engages over 1.300 Italian suppliers across 51 product sectors, 78% of which are SMEs. In terms of employment, the company employs 993 people directly, but supports a total of 3.195 total worker equivalents (WFEs), across all levels of the supply chain and related industries, through continuous investment in skills development. Over 60 hours of training will be provided to Roche employees in 2025, with a multiplier effect of 2,4 hours of non-mandatory training for every hour of mandatory training, while 5.700 hours were dedicated to AI. Finally, with regards to environmental impact, following significant milestones already achieved between 2022 and 2025 in reducing electricity consumption (-30%), methane gas (-4%), and greenhouse gas emissions (-8%), the next milestone is an innovative geothermal project that aims to make the Roche Italia headquarters in Monza zero-emission CO2 emissions by 2027.
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