Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roche Renew Partnership for Improved Detection of Sepsis Using PCT Biomarker

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the renewal of its non-exclusive, long-term, royalty-bearing agreement with Roche for the use of Thermo Fisher’s Procalcitonin (B.R.A.H.M.S PCTTM) technology, currently available as an automated immunoassay on the Roche Elecsys® cobas e platforms in all countries outside the United States. The agreement extends a long-standing relationship between the companies.

Elecsys® B.R.A.H.M.S PCT™ immunoassay currently offers healthcare professionals outside the U.S. an integrated solution for accurate sepsis diagnosis, significantly improving medical decision-making. The Elecsys® cobas e platforms have a large global installed base in immunoassay laboratories.

The PCT biomarker test is the gold standard for the early detection of sepsis in critically ill patients. Broader availability of PCT testing will lead to improved hospital management and care of patients with, or at high risk of sepsis.

“The continuation of our close collaboration with Roche significantly strengthens our ability to make our biomarker test globally available to a broader patient population,” says Marc Tremblay, president of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Clinical Diagnostics business. “Early diagnosis is the key for preventing sepsis, a medical condition that is still very common today and accounts for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Early diagnosis also reduces the financial burden of sepsis therapy and benefits hospitals that are struggling to maintain service levels and remain competitive in today’s challenging economic environment.”

The worldwide number of patients affected by sepsis is estimated to be 20 to 30 million annually and claims more lives than bowel and breast cancer combined1. Despite advances in modern medicine, including antibiotics and vaccines, sepsis remains the primary cause of death from infection with hospital mortality rates between 30 to 60%1. Hospital costs to treat severe sepsis in the U.S. are estimated at $16 billion dollars annually2. Much of this cost is attributed to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, making rapid, more reliable detection a national, if not global, imperative. Research published in Critical Care Medicine showed that each hour of delay in therapy can decrease chances of patient survival by 7.6 percent3.

References
[1] www.world-sepsis-day.org.
[2] Angus DC, Linde-Zwirble WT; Crit Care Med. 2001 Jul;29(7):1303-10.
[3] Kumar A, Roberts D; Crit Care Med. 2006 Jun;34(6):1589-96.