Roche launched two new highly sensitive therapeutic drug monitoring tests for the immunosuppressant medicines tacrolimus and cyclosporine

Tests support long-term routine management of organ transplant recipients and enhanced workflow in medical labs

19-7-2013 — /europawire.eu/ —  Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced the global launch (except US) of two new highly sensitive therapeutic drug monitoring tests for the immunosuppressant medicines tacrolimus and cyclosporine. The new Elecsys Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine tests provide healthcare professionals with more accurate and reliable results. They are made for use on Roche’s cobas modular analysers, thus also supporting enhanced workflow and efficiency in medical laboratories.

“Therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs is a key part of transplant medicine and essential for the long-term well-being of patients who have undergone organ transplantation,” said Roland Diggelmann, Head of Roche Diagnostics. ”The launch of the new products marks another milestone in the expansion for Roche’s test portfolio for transplantation. These highly sensitive tests provide healthcare professionals precise and consistent test results for effective treatment regime.”

Immunosuppressants must be taken continuously by recipients of organ transplants to prevent transplant rejection. As these medicines do not have the desired effect if the dose is too low, while excessive doses can cause severe side effects, it is important to monitor their concentrations in patients’ blood precisely.

Successful transplantation is performed routinely for a wide range of organs. However, the permanent risk that the recipient’s immune system may reject the new organ makes transplantation one of the most challenging and complex areas of medicine. Tacrolimus and cyclosporine are two medicines that are widely used to help prevent transplant rejection.

About Roche Diagnostics in transplantation
In the field of transplant medicine Roche offers healthcare professionals a broad portfolio of diagnostic tests. These include serology tests to ensure the safety of organ and blood donations from transmitted infection, monitor organ function, and help monitor patients’ health in the immediate post-transplant recovery period and during long-term follow-up.

About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, infectious diseases, inflammation, metabolism and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche’s personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2012 Roche had over 82,000 employees worldwide and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 45.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.