Health · Healthcare & Policy · 6 hrs ago
Roche urges healthcare systems to shift toward preventing chronic disease
Roche executive Jorg Rupp has called for major changes to healthcare systems worldwide.
He spoke at Roche’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, about the growing burden of long-term diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart conditions.
Many health systems were designed in the mid-20th century to treat sudden illnesses, rather than conditions that require care over many years.
Rupp said ageing populations and rising rates of chronic disease are putting pressure on systems that remain largely reactive.
He argued that governments should treat healthcare as an investment, and said the costs of chronic disease could exceed $5 trillion over the next decade.
Research is producing new treatments, but Rupp said systems need to improve how they identify disease early and deliver care.
He called this a chance to redesign healthcare, but did not set out a specific next step.
Roche has called for a structural shift in healthcare systems to better prevent and manage chronic diseases.
Jorg Rupp said many systems remain designed for acute illnesses and are reactive rather than proactive.
He urged governments to treat healthcare as an investment rather than an expense.
Rupp said chronic disease treatment costs could exceed $5 trillion over the next decade.
He said nearly 13,000 medicines are in clinical development globally, with 75% focused on non-communicable diseases.
- Who
- Roche, represented by Jorg Rupp, who leads its international operations.
- What
- Roche called for healthcare systems to shift toward preventing and managing chronic disease.
- When
- Rupp made the remarks at the time of the article, published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Roche headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
- Why
- Rupp said healthcare systems are largely reactive and were designed for acute illnesses, while chronic diseases are increasingly prevalent.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Governments should see healthcare as an investment rather than an expenditure.
Diseases are now complex, multi-year, chronic conditions.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how care is designed, how health systems are run and how medical decisions are made at scale.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Company
- Roche
- Speaker
- Jorg Rupp
- Location
- Roche headquarters, Basel
- Projected chronic disease costs
- More than $5 trillion over the next decade
- Medicines in clinical development
- Nearly 13,000 worldwide
- Share focused on non-communicable diseases
- 75%
Sources
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