Roche chosen to provide HIV diagnostic solutions for Global Fund

Roche has announced a new framework agreement with the Global Fund that will provide the organisation with easier access to HIV diagnostic tools.

The company has been selected to provide HIV-1 viral load and early infant diagnostic technologies for the Global Fund, a public-private partnership organisation dedicated to combating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide.

Utilising a unique dual-target design to simultaneously amplify and detect two separate regions of the HIV-1 genome which are not subject to selective drug pressure, the fully-automated tests will provide reliable results for laboratories and physicians.

For early infant diagnostics, the dual-target HIV-1 qualitative test v2.02 works with both plasma and dried blood spot collection cards, eliminates the need for refrigeration, drastically reduces the volume of blood required and simplifies sample collection and transportation.

Paul Brown, head of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said: "We are proud to be chosen as a supplier for the Global Fund and to continue to provide reliable HIV-1 diagnostics where they are needed most."

This comes after the company provided support to an HIV testing programme launched in developing nations by the Global Fund, the UN, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief last year.