Article

Committed to the value of diagnostic solutions

Screening solutions for HIV in Africa

More than 25 million people are infected with HIV in Africa.1 UNAIDS has promoted the need for innovative diagnostic testing solutions and resources for HIV disease elimination programs in underserved African countries. The goal is to expand treatment and prevention strategies to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.2

Agencies such as PEPFAR and the WHO have been working closely with Roche ensuring that high-quality and affordable diagnostic solutions are delivered to countries in Africa and around the world to help end the HIV burden. With HIV diagnostic testing and measurement of viral load, patients can be accurately diagnosed and monitored for their viral loads while receiving the highest quality treatment during their lifetime.

In 2012, Roche and PEPFAR announced a public-private partnership to strengthen certification programs, educational resources and molecular diagnostic laboratory systems with the hopes of improving HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and outcomes.3

In 2019, Roche received an award from PEPFAR enabling the company to meet the increased global demand for HIV diagnostic testing through improved and cost-effective HIV viral load and early infant diagnosis products and services. Under the award, Roche will work with PEPFAR to scale-up HIV screening tests across the world and commit services to the six countries that make up 70% of the PEPFAR viral load and early infant diagnosis testing volume -- Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

To further demonstrate its commitment to the value of screening tests, Roche’s HIV diagnostic portfolio was granted WHO PQ on March 11, 2021, a comprehensive, standardized assessment that ensures in vitro diagnostic tests meet strict requirements for safety, quality and performance for use in resource-limited settings.4 WHO PQ will ensure that developing nations and remote areas can receive the best, fit-for-purpose HIV diagnostics through the Roche Global Access Program.

Roche’s portfolio of HIV molecular diagnostic solutions include reliable tests for HIV detection and fully automated PCR systems that use highly efficient, flexible workflows to ramp up throughput and reduce error. These systems can be coupled with an easy-to-use sample collection device, which is about the size of a credit card and designed for simple blood collection and transportation in areas of extreme heat and humidity before analysis. With these solutions, laboratories and healthcare centers in every country can scale-up complete and comprehensive HIV diagnosis, early infant testing and plasma viral load testing to battle the disease and ensure patients get the care they need.

WHO
Eliminating Hepatitis is possible

Egypt has one of the highest rates of HCV in the world. In 2006, Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) created the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis (NCCVH) and began a heroic journey to eliminate the disease by 2023.

To help with the HCV elimination program in Egypt, Roche built alliances with the country’s government officials and healthcare facilities to deliver and bring online, in six months, 23 fully-automated, high-throughput, molecular diagnostic systems to Egyptian healthcare centers.

After launching a massive nationwide initiative to test all of Egypt’s adult population for HCV, the country has screened more than 60 million people, an impressive result that rose from domestic and international partnerships.

Following extensive collaboration with WHO, Roche’s diagnostic HCV test received WHO PQ. This will enable Roche to provide better service to Egypt as it battles HCV as well as other underserved regions across the world.

African Labs
Investing in a disease-free future

To end disease burden, Roche launched its Global Access Program in 2014 focused on delivering state-of-the-art HIV screening tests to developing countries so patients can have access to quality healthcare. The Program was expanded in 2019 for additional diseases including tuberculosis (TB), HBV, HCV and human papillomavirus (HPV). 

As a leader in diagnostics, Roche is committed to expanding strategic, long-lasting collaborations with countries at the national and local levels, and working with international agencies including WHO, UNAIDS, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Unitaid, PEPFAR, The Global Fund and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Roche’s mission is to help countries build sustainable healthcare infrastructure and disease elimination programs through innovative screening systems, affordable products and hands-on training programs for healthcare personnel to ensure that every patient will receive the best treatment possible.

 

Scaling up elimination programs through experience

 

By setting up coordinated initiatives to help each region progress towards its disease elimination programs, Roche has been a trusted partner for many resource-limited countries in fighting infectious diseases. Infectious diseases such as HIV account for some of the leading causes of death worldwide,5 and Roche has worked with Ministries of Health, international funding agencies and local communities in Africa and other developing countries to scale-up diagnostic tests.

In 2018, Roche’s Global Operations and Supply Chain, Roche Molecular Diagnostics business team and the South African affiliate embarked on a heroic effort to provide Nigeria with 340,000 HIV viral load diagnostic tests and all the associated consumables. In Nigeria and Kenya, Roche has begun collaborations with healthcare agencies, policymakers and funding institutions to provide rapid, scalable and clinically-validated HPV screening tests for cervical cancer.

These initiatives show how Roche cultivates partnerships with global and local organizations to supply countries with dependable diagnostic solutions during challenging situations