HIV-1 test and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) developments for Roche
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Roche has received US market go-ahead for an automated version of its FDA-approved PCR assay for measuring viral load in patients infected with HIV-1. The Cobas Amplicor HIV-1 monitor test (version 1.5) can measure viral loads as low as 50 copies of HIV-1 RNA per millilitre (c/mL) of plasma. Such a level of sensitivity is critical for optimising treatment strategies, because maintaining an infected patient's viral load below 50c/mL has been associated with a more complete and durable viral suppression, the Basel, Switzerland company explains.