Roche Diagnostics announces ovarian test agreement

Roche Diagnostics and Fujirebio Diagnostics have announced that an agreement for the global supply and licensing of the HE4 ovarian cancer test has been confirmed.

The companies confirmed this will involve Roche developing an assay kit which will utilise Fujirebio’s HE4 test – originally developed for use with its CA125 biomarker.

Described as the "gold standard" for ovarian cancer monitoring, the biomarkers have been proven to act as a useful diagnostic tool that is able to give clinicians higher specificity and sensitivity than CA125 alone.

This then gives doctors a more accurate picture of whether pelvic masses are benign or malignant and enable them to begin the relevant treatment at an earlier stage.

"This novel biomarker HE4 will allow our longstanding partner Roche Diagnostics to provide clinicians worldwide with a much needed tool to better define a pelvic mass, enabling women at higher risk for cancer to see the right physician earlier," explained Fujirebio’s president and chief executive officer Paul Touhey.

According to Cancer Research UK, about 6,800 females are diagnosed with the disease annually.

It is the most common type after breast, bowel, lung and womb cancer.