Roche Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd and ABL Diagnostics enter into an Exclusive Distribution Agreement in South Africa

Johannesburg (South Africa), Woippy (France) — March 27th 2023

Roche Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd (Roche SA) and ABL Diagnostics (ABLD) are pleased to announce the launch of an exclusive distribution partnership which will see Roche supplying ABLD products to South African laboratories. Roche SA now has exclusive rights to distribute products, including the ABL DeepChek® assays to laboratories implementing microbiology applications. These applications include HIV, Tuberculosis, Cytomegalovirus, Viral Hepatitis, Human Papillomavirus, 16s/18s RNA, BKV and other infectious diseases.

The combination of Roche SA’s expertise in the local microbiology market and the ABLD product portfolio will make it easier for laboratories to access robust genotyping by sequencing solutions at competitive prices and with local support. This collaboration enables Roche to provide end-to-end solutions in their product offerings, which include serology, automation, molecular solutions, and genotypic profiling via sequencing. This is a healthcare revolution that will allow Roche to understand disease mechanisms and progression, as well as provide new biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis which will offer more efficient service delivery to patients.

“We are extremely pleased with Roche SA’s interest in our genotyping and are confident that Roche’s extensive experience in the South African market, particularly in the HIV Viral Load area, will benefit multiple laboratories,” said Mr Ronan Boulme, Managing Director of ABL Diagnostics. “Roche is committed to increasing access to quality diagnostics for all Africans,” said Mr Rennie Naidoo, Head of Marketing and Communications Management Center Sub-Saharan Africa, Roche Diagnostics. This collaboration provides an opportunity to improve therapeutic decisions for individualised disease management.

“We are pleased to provide more clinicians with the tools they need to provide solutions to patients across multiple disease areas, and we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.”

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics and growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights help Roche deliver truly personalised healthcare. Roche is working with partners across the healthcare sector to provide the best care for each person.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, Roche has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical insights.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the twelfth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2020 employed more than 100,000 people worldwide. In 2020, Roche invested CHF 12.2 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 58.3 billion. 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.

*Walkaway time is dependent on the number of tests performed and number of runs initiated (under continuous testing conditions >96 tests per shift, walkaway time may be between 4 - 8 hours).

**May vary based on assay availability in your country.

Media contact:

Roche Communications Lead
Precious Nkabinde
precious.nkabinde@roche.com

***

About ABL Diagnostics (ABLD)

On September 1st, 2022, Advanced Biological Laboratories Fedialis SAS (formerly ABL France SAS) merged into ABL Diagnostics SA (ABLD), a worldwide leading international company listed on Euronext Paris compartment C (ISIN FR001400AHX6), offering innovative and proprietary molecular biology assays and end-to-end solutions intended to be used for molecular detection by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) - UltraGene® and for genotyping through DNA sequencing - DeepChek® (a very sensitive, robust and sustainable technology allowing precise identification of relevant genomic variations like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), amino-acid mutations, quasispecies like variants of concern, already published or which will be discovered in the future, with known impact on disease prognosis, drug efficacy, pathogen activity…). 

These molecular biology products are generating recurring revenues and cover one of the largest portfolios of microbiology applications, growing fast year after year to stick to the market needs, with a primary focus on HIV (with CE-IVD marked target-specific assays covering all relevant genes used for drug resistance assessment like reverse transcriptase, protease, integrase and with disruptive Whole Genome Kits), on SARS-CoV-2 (with a CE-IVD marked Whole Genome assay), on Tuberculosis (with a CE-IVD marked multiplex assay targeting genes relevant for first line, second line and new-drugs resistance determination), on viral hepatitis B and C, 16s/18s RNA for taxonomy and microbiome analyses and other viral and bacterial targets. Please consult the ABL team for further information about the registration status of ABLD’s products in your territory. 

ABLD commercialises its entire line of products on a worldwide basis through its own sales team and through a network of exclusive distributors active on all continents. ABLD clients are academic clinical pathology labs, private reference labs and researchers willing to implement an innovative and robust microbiology content in constant expansion. 

ABLD also develops, manufactures and markets kits for clinical specimen collection – MediaChek® and digital solutions like Nadis®, a CE-marked Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system used in France in more than 200 hospitals managing patients infected by HIV or Viral Hepatitis. 

Since 2019, the activities of ABL DIAGNOSTICS have also been carried out in the United States through its wholly owned subsidiary, ABL ADVANCEDDX BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES USA Inc.

Contacts

ABL Diagnostics
72C Route de Thionville
57140 WOIPPY
France
Phone: +33 145 061 574
Email: contact@abldiagnostics.com