Beyond COVID-19: How Roche is Shaping Pandemic Preparedness

Updated: September 12, 2025
 

Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Roche focused on supporting the global response, doing everything possible to ensure that healthcare providers and their patients receive the diagnostic tests they need. More than five years later, we’ve maintained that unwavering focus while laying the foundation to ensure we’re prepared for the next pandemic.

In a recent conversation, Dr. Jamie Deeter Ph.D., senior director, scientific affairs, and Russell “Rusty” Ring, vice president, government affairs, reflect on how Roche provides what patients need – now and in the future.

We provide the right tests at the right time.

Just as a pandemic constantly evolves, Roche continually adapts to meet patient needs. Roche produced the first commercial high-throughput test to identify infections and support testing demand, followed by a point-of-care rapid molecular test that differentiated between flu and COVID-19. “We prioritized the test that differentiates between multiple pathogens on Roche’s high-throughput assay as well,” Deeter said. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends these tests over assays that detect SARS-CoV-2 alone.¹ Why? Multiplex assays save both time and resources.

“Healthcare providers are challenged with differentiating pathogens because they circulate at the same time, and because patients may present with similar symptoms,” said Deeter, who has spent years studying coronaviruses and other respiratory pathogens to help launch Roche’s SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests. Roche’s all-in-one tests help determine whether a person has SARS-CoV-2, influenza (A or B), or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in one fell swoop.

Testing was an important part of “getting back to normal,” and this remains true today. New variants²  of COVID-19 are circulating, driving the need for vigilance. Even vaccinated individuals, whether they show symptoms or not, can transmit the virus, underscoring the importance of ongoing screening.

High-throughput testing on Roche’s cobas® 6800 and 8800 Systems protects patients and communities by providing quick, high-volume results. The 8800 can produce up to 1,056 results in an eight-hour shift. If a result is needed in minutes at the point of care, that is where the cobas® liat comes in.

During the pandemic, Roche didn’t just focus on tests that detected pathogens, Deeter said:  “We also focused on aiding healthcare providers who were caring for infected patients.” An example of this is the Elecsys IL-6, which helped clinicians identify COVID-19 patients with severe inflammatory responses who need mechanical ventilation.

COVID-19 remains a public health concern, but it is no longer the emergency it once was, and its health impacts are increasingly similar to those of other respiratory viral illnesses, including influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

RSV, which can affect people of all ages but causes more severe disease in the young and the elderly, decreased during the height of the global pandemic due to non-pharmaceutical interventions, Deeter explained. In 2022 -23, when mask mandates rolled back at a federal and state level, cases of pediatric hospitalization for RSV doubled compared to the prior year. The interseasonal increase prompted the CDC to issue a health advisory³ recommending that symptomatic patients who are SARS-CoV-2 negative be tested for RSV.

Our tests are built for longevity as the virus evolves. 

“Roche has been thoughtful about the design of our respiratory assays,” Deeter said. RNA viruses have a high mutation rate. That’s one reason our tests target two regions on the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The virus would have to mutate in two regions for us to miss detection. That could happen, but it’s not likely, as we also design by targeting conserved regions.” A conserved region is a part of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that has the least propensity to change, even if the virus mutates. This dual target feature will help ensure tests are robust and accurate as new variants emerge. Roche also closely monitors the potential impact of variants on test performance.

We put patients first – including vulnerable populations.

Public health has long been a focus at Roche, especially since the pandemic. Ring, who leads Roche’s government affairs group, said his team’s goal is to promote legislation that ensures hospitals and labs have the support they need to detect diseases and protect patients.

Ring and his team promote policies that give vulnerable populations access to testing, including point-of-care and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. They also work to place instruments to facilitate high-throughput testing. Said Ring, “For small providers with unmet needs, funding could make all the difference in the world.”
 

We’re preparing for the future.

At the onset of the global pandemic, the Strategic National Stockpile lacked the necessary resources for life-saving care. Ring and his team want to make sure that it won’t happen again.

"We've dedicated significant effort to optimizing our stockpile and response strategies in alignment with the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act," explained Ring. "Our persistence in advocating for the inclusion of diagnostics has paid off. In February 2025, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress, specifically mandating a comprehensive national plan for diagnostic testing to prepare for future public health emergencies. The immediate priority in a global pandemic is to start testing."

Roche’s diagnostic solutions span both the laboratory and decentralized settings. Roche offers a solution for every need, whether it’s a syndromic panel for critically ill patients, a point-of-care testing panel for quick triage, or a high-throughput system for large patient volumes. Diagnostic testing continues to make a significant difference as healthcare providers work tirelessly to help patients receive accurate diagnoses. Roche is committed to meeting those need

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