As tuberculosis continues to place a significant healthcare and socioeconomic burden on the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) has pushed the need for increasing the availability of molecular diagnostics to help eliminate the epidemic by 2030.
Progress has been made toward the 2030 targets but diagnostic challenges remain and acceleration is needed to reach the TB-elimination goals. COVID-19 hindered progress as funding and healthcare resources were re-allocated to help fight the pandemic. To reach these TB-elimination goals, healthcare agencies, national governments and other stakeholders have emphasized the need for innovative diagnostics so clinicians can receive the information they need to properly diagnose infections, improve treatment access and reduce disease transmission.
According to the WHO, “there is an ongoing need to scale-up capacity to test larger numbers of specimens” if the world is to reach its goal of eliminating TB by 2030.2 High-throughput molecular platforms that accommodate multiple disease-specific tests proved beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic and can help TB programs globally. Combining the correct diagnostic methods that are highly efficient and cost-effective in the right patient setting can increase access, guide treatment decisions and improve quality of life.
With resource-limited countries reliant on WHO guidance to implement TB diagnostics that meet a certain quality standard, the WHO convened a Guidelines Development Group (GDG) meeting in December 2020 to update its diagnostic guidelines on the use of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect TB and resistance to selected anti-TB agents.2 By increasing the number of reliable molecular diagnostic tests available for TB programs in high-burden regions, the update enables Roche to provide its diagnostic solutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC’s).
Roche’s Global Access Program was established to address the challenge of universal access to quality healthcare and medical innovation. In 2019, the Program was expanded to include tuberculosis diagnostic solutions. This enables LMIC’s to obtain high-quality tests at an affordable price, thereby allowing clinicians to diagnose more patients promptly.
Roche understands the need for taking a holistic diagnostic approach that ensures validated test results are accessible in LMIC’s to battle this healthcare challenge. To accelerate these efforts, the company is supporting current TB program strategies and eradication in urban settings with a systems integration approach through multi-disease diagnostics. Creating high-volume diagnostic hubs supports not only scaling TB program capacity but also enabling capacity for future pandemics.
Roche has developed TB diagnostic solutions that can aid healthcare systems in improving health outcomes in high-burden regions and ensure patients get suitable treatment regimens. Its automated, highly-sensitive in vitro diagnostic test detects TB infection, while the rapid drug resistance test detects anti-TB treatment resistance, specifically mutations associated with Rifampicin-resistance and Isoniazid-resistance.
It is part of Roche’s commitment to improving access to innovative products and services by the people who need them, when they need them – no matter where they live.
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