Roche Malaysia raises RM111,800 to aid child cancer survivors

SELANGOR, 12 August 2025 - Roche Malaysia reaffirms its commitment to community impact through its participation in the global fundraising event, the Roche Children’s Walk (RCW). On a global scale, the RCW initiative led by Roche employees in more than 75 countries raises funds to advance education, nutrition, primary healthcare and social development for thousands of children. 

This year, Roche Malaysia employees across Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics and Services and Solutions (RSS APAC) raised RM111,800 through a series of fundraising activities to support child cancer survivors from the Children’s Home of Hope (CHH) at the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM). Timed ahead of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, the funds raised will help provide essential services to paediatric cancer patients and their families, many of whom continue their treatment journeys with limited resources.

The final phase of the campaign was marked by a two-kilometre walk near Roche’s office in Sunway, where employees were joined by representatives from NCSM in a symbolic show of solidarity. A cheque presentation ceremony was held to celebrate the collective efforts to help children undergoing cancer treatment.

“In Malaysia, the incidence rate of paediatric cancer is about 77.4 per million children aged less than 15 years. With early diagnosis and treatment, over 70% of cases are curable—significantly higher than survival rates for most adult cancers1,” said Deepti Saraf, General Manager of Roche Pharmaceuticals Malaysia. “The Roche Children’s Walk is a reminder of the human stories behind our work. Through this campaign, we hope to help ease the burden on children and families navigating cancer care. It also offers our employees a meaningful way to connect with our purpose of doing now what patients need next, through action that extends beyond science and into the communities that need it most.”

As part of the campaign, Roche employees visited CHH to spend time with the children and caregivers, gaining first-hand insight into their day-to-day experiences while undergoing treatment. The home provides free accommodation, meals and psychosocial support to paediatric cancer patients receiving treatment at public hospitals, while providing caregivers similar complimentary services and a space to stay close to their children. These services are also extended to the patients’ siblings.

Kol. Bersekutu (PA) Assoc Prof Dr Murallitharan Munisamy, Managing Director of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, added, “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes for the family. The challenge is not just medical—it’s emotional, logistical and financial. The Children’s Home of Hope exists to ease this burden and the aid from Roche Malaysia ensures we can continue doing so. As we approach Childhood Cancer Awareness month, we are reminded of the importance of building a compassionate network of care and that no child or family should face cancer alone.”

This year’s Roche Children’s Walk embodies the company’s commitment to improving the lives of people affected by cancer—beyond healthcare innovation, and through meaningful engagement with the communities around them.

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights help Roche deliver truly personalised healthcare. Roche is working with partners across the healthcare sector to provide the best care for each person.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, Roche has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical insights.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the twelfth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2020 employed more than 100,000 people worldwide. In 2020, Roche invested CHF 12.2 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 58.3 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

Roche has been present in Malaysia since 1972, when the sales and distribution of products was managed by a third party distributor. Since then, Roche has established its operations to include Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the pharmaceutical business; Roche Diagnostics (M) Sdn. Bhd., the diagnostics business and Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn. Bhd. (also referred to as Roche Services & Solutions APAC). With a total staff strength of over 1,200, Roche has grown into one of the leading healthcare companies in Malaysia that provides holistic healthcare solutions to healthcare practitioners and patients. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.my

About Roche Children’s Walk: A day powered by Roche employees

Roche Children’s Walk is the company’s global signature employee project. Since the first company-wide walk in 2003, more than 350,000 Roche employees have participated, raising more than CHF 25 million (RM131 million) in donations for children’s projects relating to education, nutrition, primary healthcare and social development around the world. All funds raised and collected by employees are matched by Roche and used to support local children’s causes in communities where Roche operates, as well as in developing countries such as Malawi, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Funds are applied to local NGOs or channeled through the Roche Employee Action and Charity Trust (Re&Act), a legally independent charity as well as local projects in over 75 countries where we operate and beyond.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

1. Niranjni Jayabalan

   Communications Lead, Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd

   Email: [email protected]