Roche says it’s actively working with its partners to enhance mpox laboratory capacity worldwide to develop diagnostic tests to combat the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, a global public health emergency. It’s the second time in two years WHO has sounded the alarm about mpox as a new variant of the disease, known as clade 1b, spread rapidly in Africa.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company said Tuesday it is supporting the international response to the mpox global health emergency with its diagnostic tests developed for the virus. Mpox is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. The company says it also provides training for laboratories across the African continent at the Roche Scientific Campus in South Africa as well as locally.
“Our commitment to support the global response to mpox began in 2022 when we developed a suite of tests to enable global access to rapid and high-quality PCR testing,” said Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics, in a statement. “Diagnostics are essential in addressing emerging public health challenges like mpox, as they enable healthcare providers to identify infected patients, devise effective treatment strategies and take appropriate actions.”
The drugmaker confirmed that its cobas MPXV test, as well as the LightMix research-use-only kits, detect the latest mpox virus variants.