Roche’s Elecsys preeclampsia test shows effectiveness in new study

Roche has announced results from a new study showing how its Elecsys blood test can predict cases of preeclampsia among pregnant women.

Data from the Prognosis study has been presented at the World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility in Paris, showing how Elecsys can predict the absence of preeclampsia for one week and the development of the condition within the subsequent four weeks.

This helps healthcare professionals to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations by reliably ruling out preeclampsia for one week, while improving outcomes for mothers and children who are at risk from the life-threatening condition by facilitating optimised prenatal care.

Roche's test works by measuring two proteins, sFlt-1 and PlGF, in the mother's blood. Preeclampsia occurs in approximately one in 20 pregnancies and is the second most common cause of maternal death.

Roland Diggelmann, chief operating officer of Roche Diagnostics, said: "The new data allows us to set new standard in prenatal care, avoid unnecessary hospitalisation and anxiety for the mother and her family."

This comes after the company launched new HIV and hepatitis C assays for use on the Cobas 6800/8800 Systems earlier this month.