INDIANAPOLIS, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche Diagnostics today announced that Quest Diagnostics , the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, has signed a multi-year agreement to use the COBAS(R) AmpliPrep / COBAS(R) TaqMan(R) HIV-1 Test for HIV viral load testing.
Physicians use the test information to monitor the effects of antiretroviral therapy by measuring changes in HIV-1 RNA levels. Roche’s newest HIV-1 viral load monitoring test is the first fully automated real-time PCR test approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“We are pleased to continue what has been a strong partnership since Quest Diagnostics first began using our molecular HIV test 12 years ago,” said Whitney Green, Senior Vice-President for Molecular Diagnostics of Roche Diagnostics. “We share Quest Diagnostics’ commitment to its physicians who need the most accurate testing information to make the best treatment decisions for their patients.”
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world’s biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007, sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested more than 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 79,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.roche.com .
CONTACT: Lori McLaughlin, Corporate Communications of Roche Diagnostics,
+1-317-521-3112, lori.mclaughlin@roche.com
Web site: http://www.roche.com/
