Roche’s Old-Guard Cancer Drugs Get Boost from Sales in China

China was the engine that helped drive sales of Roche Holding AG’s trio of aging cancer medicines last quarter.

Roche’s top-selling drugs -- Herceptin, Avastin and Rituxan -- now are being reimbursed in the world’s most populous country, fueling demand, Dan O’Day, who heads the Swiss drugmaker’s pharmaceuticals unit, said on a conference call Wednesday after the company reported third-quarter sales. China began paying for the drugs at the end of last year.

The advances in China helped Roche’s drug revenue beat analysts’ estimates, Ian Hilliker, an analyst at Jefferies in London, wrote in a note to clients. Two of ...