Roche Africa Launches Integration Accelerated to Expand Access to TB Diagnostics and Strengthen Integrated Care Continent-Wide

• Roche Diagnostics is launching an initiative to support countries in strengthening sustainable, integrated health systems to test for multiple high-burden diseases at once
• Many African countries have made strong progress in combating TB, but further acceleration is needed to meet global targets
• Integration of diagnostic testing offers a practical way to expand access and improve efficiency using existing infrastructure

Johannesburg, South Africa: Roche Diagnostics Africa launches Integration Accelerated, a new approach designed to support countries in expanding access to diagnostics while making better use of existing infrastructure.

TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with an estimated 10.7 million cases and 1.23 million deaths globally in 20241. Africa has made significant progress, achieving some of the fastest declines worldwide, with new cases reduced by 28% and deaths by 46% since 20152.

At the same time, the region continues to carry a substantial share of the global burden, accounting for around a quarter of new cases and over 30% of deaths3. A meaningful proportion of cases are still not diagnosed or reported, and the close link between TB and HIV continues to shape the complexity of care in many countries3.

With resources becoming more constrained, accelerating progress will depend on how effectively existing technologies and infrastructure are used to expand access and strengthen care delivery.

Integration Accelerated focuses on enabling the use of established HIV diagnostic platforms to support additional testing for TB, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Hepatitis. This allows countries to extend the reach of their current systems, taking a “whole patient” approach, and strengthening overall laboratory efficiency without requiring additional capital investment.

The initiative is aligned with growing national priorities across Africa, where health systems are increasingly focused on scalable, cost-effective solutions that support long-term resilience and improved patient outcomes.

Integration Accelerated includes optimisation of existing diagnostic capacity, an all-inclusive model that drives cost-savings across multiple infectious disease areas, and tailored technical support to assist with implementation in diverse country contexts.

Dr Allan Pamba, Executive Vice President for Roche Diagnostics, Africa, comments: “In 2025, the world stopped funding the old way of doing health. In 2026, Roche launches a new way. We aim to make Integration Accelerated the catalyst for countries across Africa to increase their impact within the realities of budget constraints.

“Integration Accelerated helps countries break the vertical, donor-driven silos to build resilient, integrated health systems of the future. By integrating TB, HPV, and Hepatitis testing onto the extensive footprint of HIV instruments already in place, it turns spare capacity into timely life-saving diagnostic results and enables holistic patient care.”

Roche is the leading Industry partner providing solutions and technical assistance required to drive the implementation of this change in complex local contexts across Africa. Integration Accelerated aims to optimise existing medium and high-volume diagnostics instruments to help countries avoid unnecessary additional investments.

Integration Accelerated’s access model covering HIV, TB, HPV, and Hepatitis B and C will generate savings for Ministries of Health. A menu of add-on technical assistance offerings will assist with integration implementation, customisable to individual country contexts.

Dr Pamba concludes, “As countries continue to strengthen their TB responses, integration offers a clear and practical pathway to expand access, improve efficiency, and support more coordinated results for patients.”

References:

1. WHO Global TB Report 2025
2. Human Progress
3. WHO TB Factsheet

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Author: Gabrielle Matthew from JNPR on behalf of Roche Diagnostics.

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