Roche announced that it is supporting the response to the global mpox health emergency by providing increased access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and partnering with governments, healthcare providers, and organizations to combat the mpox outbreak.
Mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on August 14 due to a dramatic upsurge in cases in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement, Roche said that it is actively working with its partners to enhance mpox laboratory capacity worldwide. In addition, Roche said that it provides training for labs across the African continent at its Roche Scientific Campus in Johannesburg as well as locally.
Roche developed the Cobas MPXV test for mpox virus detection for use on the Cobas 6800/8800 systems, as well as three LightMix Modular Virus test kits for use on either a LightCycler 480 II Instrument, LightCycler PRO, or Cobas z 480 Analyzer. The LightMix Modular Virus kits are intended for use in confirmatory testing (evaluation and validation) in public health labs and are designated as research use only; they are designed for research use in the majority of countries worldwide.
The company confirmed in its statement that all of its tests detect the latest mpox virus variants.
