Medical Device Network

Roche and Hitachi extend partnership ahead of diagnostic analysers launch

The companies plan to launch the cobas c 703 and cobas ISE neo analytical units later this year.

Roche and Hitachi High-Tech have signed a ten-year contract renewal to jointly develop and manufacture diagnostic solutions.

The agreement follows a successful 46-year partnership that has yielded several analysers, including Cobas analysers used to run various in vitro diagnostic assays.

The companies plan to launch new analytical units, namely cobas c 703 and cobas ISE neo; as well as a fully automated mass spectrometry integration, cobas Mass Spec solution, by the end of this year.

The in vitro diagnostics market was worth approximately $49.6bn last year, according to GlobalData analysis. The in vitro diagnostic analyser sub-section of the market was worth approximately $4.8bn last year and is expected to generate over $7.8bn in sales by 2033.

"I am delighted that with this new agreement, Roche and Hitachi High-Tech can continue to push the boundaries of medical technology and transform patient care," commented Palani Kumaresan, head of Roche Diagnostic Solutions.

"Together, we have built an unrivalled installed base of more than 84,000 diagnostic platforms around the globe. This brings both speed and scale to testing for our customers, helping them to better serve patients' needs."

Roche has expanded its portfolio of molecular assays, which are run on cobas systems, with multiple approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in recent months. In March, the company received US approval for the first-ever blood screening test for malaria. The test is run on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based cobas 6800/8800 systems and allows healthcare professionals to screen for the disease in blood, organ, and tissue donors.

Roche’s blood test portfolio includes multiple immunoassays such as Elecsys HBeAg quant to diagnose and monitor hepatitis B, Anti-HEV IgM and Elecsys Anti-HEV IgG immunoassays for detecting hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections, neurofilament light chain (NfL) test for diagnosing multiple sclerosis and interleukin 6 (IL-6) immunoassay for diagnosing neonatal sepsis. The tests are run on different cobas e analysers.