Seeking Alpha: Roche Could Be A Victim Of Its Own Success

Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) (ROG.VX) hasn't done all that well in the market of late, with the shares down about 6% over the past year. Then again, that's not so bad in the larger context - Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Bristol-Myers (NYSE:BMY) have done significantly better (both up about 11%), but Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Merck (NYSE:MRK), and AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) have performed just as poorly or worse than Roche.

This market performance forms an interesting contrast with the news that Roche has been reporting. The company continues to advance one of the deepest oncology/immuno-oncology portfolios, and the company's efforts outside of cancer have achieved some notable successes of late in hemophilia and multiple sclerosis.

Even so, the question remains as to whether this will be enough to push the company back to double-digit earnings growth. Not only are politicians taking a harsher tone on drug pricing, but Roche faces significant challenges from biosimilars and intense competition in oncology. I continue to believe that Roche is a high-quality, well-run drug company, but Roche's success not only makes it a prime target for its competition but also makes it harder for the next generation of blockbusters to do more than simply maintain what the company already has.

Read more here:
Roche Could Be A Victim Of Its Own Success