Roche pharma head confirms sales outlook-paper

ZURICH, April 17 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche's (ROG.VX) pharma unit head confirmed the group's double-digit growth outlook for sales in the unit in 2007 in an interview with Swiss newspaper Handelszeitung to be published on Wednesday. In the current year William Burns, head of Roche's pharma division, was quoted as saying he expected "double-digit growth, that will be above the entire market," in an extract of the interview which was released to the media on Tuesday night.

In February Roche said it expected above market sales growth in both its pharmaceuticals and diagnostics divisions -- with the group as a whole and pharma showing double digit percentage growth rates in local currencies -- although sales of Tamiflu are expected to slip compared to 2006.

Roche, the world's biggest seller of cancer medicines, is seen reporting group sales up 13 percent in the three months to March at 11.12 billion Swiss francs ($9.12 billion), with the core drugs business growing 15 percent on Wednesday, according to a Reuters poll of 20 analysts.

Burns also said the group was not dependent on large mergers for growth.

"Using mergers to grow stronger does not seem to be the ideal way. Roche is definitely not relying on mega-mergers," Burns told the newspaper.

Burns said he wanted to achieve growth through the development of its own products as well as through cooperation and licenses and would not rule out further spin-offs of company divisions, according to the paper.

((Reporting by Katie Reid;

Email: katie.reid@reuters.com

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katie.reid.reuters.com@reuters.net

Telephone: +41 (0) 44 631 7320)) Keywords: ROCHE SALES/

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