SWITZERLAND – The Swiss based pharma company, Roche, now has its diagnostic tests included in World Health Organization (WHO) newly expanded tuberculosis guidelines.
WHOs guidelines on nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect tuberculosis (TB) and drug resistant TB post its expansion will now have increased number of molecular tests available to national TB programs in high-burden countries.
The WHO included Roche’s diagnostic test, the Cobas MTB and Cobas MTB-RIF/INH tests, to enable multi-partner diagnostic approaches that can benefit patients and communities.
Cobas MTB and cobas MTB-RIF/INH molecular tests provide clinicians flexibility to detect a combination of TB and drug-resistant TB infections from a single patient sample.
When a patient presents with symptoms of TB, the highly sensitive cobas MTB test is performed.
If positive, the patient should be evaluated for drug resistance using cobas MTB-RIF/INH test. Roche’s mycobacteria tests are for use on the cobas 6800/8800 Systems.
The fully automated cobas 6800/8800 Systems offer the fastest time to results with the highest throughput and the longest walk-away time available among automated molecular platforms.
Cobas 6800/8800 Systems are part of the Molecular Work Area, a fully integrated laboratory workflow strategy that empowers labs to further elevate their levels of efficiency, flexibility and scalability.
With proven performance, absolute automation, and unmatched flexibility delivering unparalleled throughput 24/7, cobas 6800/8800 Systems are designed to ensure a lab’s long-term sustainability and success.
Roche incorporated the testing system under its Global Access Program (GAP) whose aim was to aid clinicians in improving disease and patient management through increased access to innovative diagnostic solutions, allowing more patients to get test results promptly.
Under the GAP, Roche partnered with national governments, local healthcare facilities, communities and international agencies, including UNAIDS, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Unitaid, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Global Fund and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish programmes that would go beyond providing diagnostic tests.
The program has expanded substantially in menu and geographic footprint to provide increased access to diagnostics at affordable pricing for qualifying organisations in eligible countries with the highest disease burden.
Other than the Tb diagnostic solutions, the program has also diagnostic solutions for Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) and human papillomavirus (HPV).
