Roche announces five new intended uses for key cardiac biomarkers to help identify cardiovascular risk, better diagnose patients and support early treatment

Roche has announced a series of five new intended uses for two key cardiac biomarkers using the Elecsys^® technology: high sensitive cardiac troponin T (cTnT-hs) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide test (NT-proBNP). These gold standard biomarkers have proven to be successful in supporting cardiovascular disease management and can help clinicians diagnose heart attacks (cTnT-hs) and better manage heart failure (NT-proBNP). Roche's introduction of five new intended uses for these existing globally accepted diagnostic solutions means more people could benefit from improved cardiovascular diagnostics. By providing greater precision and certainty for clinicians, Roche can help them tackle the world's biggest killer: cardiovascular diseases.

“The five new solutions we launch this month add real value for clinicians by supporting cardiac risk identification and improving diagnosis. In turn, this will help them make early treatment decisions, improve people’s lives and reduce healthcare costs,” said Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Diagnostics. “As the market leader in cardiovascular testing Roche is committed to innovation in cardiovascular care and these new intended uses are the first of many solutions planned over the next decade that could help improve the lives of millions of people.”

One of the new intended uses for Elecsys^® NT-proBNP supports healthcare professionals in identifying which people with type-2 diabetes (463 million worldwide) are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Early identification of people at risk means cardioprotective treatment can be started sooner, which could prevent 65% of hospitalizations or deaths. The second newly-launched intended use for NT-proBNP provides healthcare professionals with a biomarker-based solution that identifies people at risk of developing Atrial Fibrillation (AF), an abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to stroke, brain damage and death. More than 37 million people suffer from AF globally. NT-proBNP, in combination with a single lead (or higher) electrocardiogram, can help to successfully diagnose AF so therapy can be started to reduce the stroke risk.

Another important biomarker, Elecsys^® cTnT-hs, now provides healthcare professionals with data to help predict heart attack risk and mortality in non-cardiac surgery patients. Every year, over 200 million adults undergo major non-cardiac surgery with 10 million suffering from major adverse cardiac events (MACE) that could be prevented through early and accurate diagnosis.

Both Elecsys^® NT-proBNP and Elecsys^® cTnT-hs can be run on all cobas e® analyzers. They are among the first products certified under the new European In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR) and available as of today in countries accepting CE mark. Availability in other countries is subject to local registration processes and timelines.

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