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Respiratory Diagnostic Solutions

With nearly 30 years in respiratory research, we are focused on improving outcomes for patients with severe respiratory diseases.

Innovative and reliable solutions to enable timely, effective treatments

Respiratory diseases cause as many as 1 in 10 deaths in some areas of Europe and continue to pose a variety of medical challenges1. Misdiagnosis can lead to mismanaged treatments, straining an already overwhelmed healthcare system and minimising treatment success. With advanced, innovative equipment, reliable and timely results, Roche can help ensure efficient and targeted treatments for your patients. 

Common respiratory conditions

Someone dies of a respiratory illness every eight minutes in England according to Public Health England2. Respiratory illnesses affect the functionality of the lungs, with tens of millions of people worldwide diagnosed with a wide variety of conditions3. Common conditions include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), occupational lung disease and asthma which can act as a gateway to more severe illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which can dramatically reduce life quality and life expectancy. 

Hospital admissions for respiratory diseases have risen at three times the rate of all other admissions5

Recent events surrounding COVID-19 proved the importance of respiratory health, exhibiting how those with underlying respiratory conditions can be especially susceptible to serious illness. However, it is estimated that treatments and innovations in the respiratory field of medicine have not advanced for 10 years, especially when compared to conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases5

Challenges in diagnosing repository conditions

A plethora of pathogens can be reasonable for the wide array of respiratory infections, making diagnosis especially difficult when differentiating between the non-specific clinical presentation of these pathogens. 

What solutions are available?

Roche understands the repercussions of inaccurate diagnosis for respiratory diseases. We know that to ensure minimal time-to-treatment from reliable testing, we must rely on something other than the method of culture collection.  

 

Roche has pioneered designs in other methods for antibody and antigen detection. These have focused on Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques (NAAT), drastically improving sensitivity, accuracy, and detection time of pathogens relating to respiratory conditions. With fully automated, high-throughput systems delivering timely results, you can empower healthcare professionals to develop the most efficient and impactful treatment decisions.  

  1. Eurostat. Respiratory diseases statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Respiratory_diseases_statistics#Deaths_from_diseases_of_the_respiratory_system

  2. Public Health England. Respiratory disease: applying All Our Health. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/respiratory-disease-applying-all-our-health/respiratory-disease-applying-all-our-health

  3. World Health Organization. Chronic respiratory diseases. https://www.who.int/health-topics/chronic-respiratory-diseases#tab=tab_1

  4. Roche Diagnostics. Respiratory track infections. https://diagnostics.roche.com/global/en/article-listing/health-topics/infectious-diseases/respiratory-tract-infections.html

  5. NHS England. Respiratory disease. https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/respiratory-disease/

  6. Varkey, B. and Maier, L. 2015. Chronic respiratory diseases: challenges in diagnosis and prevention. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine. 21 (2), pp.111-113.