Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) Chief Executive Severin Schwan said Wednesday the company plans to launch a bond to help finance the planned takeover of U.S. biotech Genentech Inc. (DNA) as soon as it has launched a public tender offer for its shares.

Schwan was speaking to reporters in Basel at a media conference on the company's full-year earnings.

"As soon as the tender offer stands, we will launch bonds which will serve as a base for further talks on financing the deal," he said.

He declined to say in which currencies the bonds would be denominated.

Last Friday, Roche launched a hostile bid to buy the roughly 44% of the U.S. biotech company that it doesn't already own, after its earlier friendly offer was rejected.

Company Web site: www.roche.com

-By Anita Greil, Dow Jones Newswires; +41 443 8040; anita.greil@dowjones.com

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