Roche and UKHSA Partner to Improve Public Health Resilience

Roche Diagnostics UK has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to bolster the UK’s public health resilience. 

The MoU, signed by Sarah Collins, UKHSA Director of Commercial, Vaccines and Countermeasures Delivery and Finbarr Kenny, Director of Sales and Account Management at Roche UK, will centre around diagnostics, health equity and pandemic preparedness. 

Roche’s Diagnostics business is a global leader in in-vitro diagnostics, developing tests, instruments and digital solutions across core laboratory, molecular, pathology and near-patient care. 

In 2025, the division generated CHF13.8bn (US$17.17bn) in sales and reached 258 million people with high-medical-value diagnostics. Its portfolio spans oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular health and diabetes. 

The UKHSA is England’s national public health agency, responsible for protecting the population from infectious diseases and other external health threats. 

Established in 2021, it provides scientific and operational expertise across surveillance, outbreak response, vaccination, emergency preparedness and health protection, working closely with NHS and government partners. 

Preparedness is key

As past public health emergencies have shown, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, preparedness is key to ensuring public health protections.

Finbarr reiterated this point on LinkedIn following the signing of the MoU.

He writes: “Preparing for future health threats doesn’t begin at the point of crisis. It starts much earlier, with trusted relationships, shared expertise and a willingness to work side by side. 

“As the COVID-19 pandemic showed, diagnostics are critical to protecting communities, guiding public health decisions, and enabling rapid, effective responses. But no single organisation can do it alone. That’s why partnerships like this matter.”

Lessons from the COVID pandemic

The partnership builds on Roche’s involvement in the UK’s response to COVID-19, when diagnostics became a critical component of national surveillance and public health decision-making.

In May 2020, for example, the UK Government announced contracts for more than 10 million antibody tests from Roche Diagnostics and Abbott, following positive evaluations of the companies’ laboratory-based tests by PHE.

Roche supported the UK Government’s COVID response frequently throughout the pandemic.

The recently signed MoU comes as UKHSA works to strengthen the UK's ability to rapidly scale diagnostic capacity during future health emergencies.

In March 2026, the agency launched a tender for surge laboratory capacity capable of supporting national responses to future outbreaks. The proposed model would maintain external PCR testing capacity that could be rapidly activated, with suppliers expected to demonstrate the ability to deliver at least 100,000 tests per day during an emergency.

Roche partners

AstraZeneca

CEO: Pascal Soriot | HQ: Cambridge, UK

AstraZeneca and Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific signed a three-year MoU in May 2026 to advance AI-powered digital and computational pathology across nine Asian markets. The partnership focuses on education, training and improving biomarker testing for breast and lung cancer, helping healthcare systems adopt advanced pathology and better identify patients for targeted therapies. 

Eli Lilly

CEO: David Ricks | HQ: Indianapolis, Indiana 

Roche and Eli Lilly are collaborating on blood-based diagnostics for Alzheimer’s disease, including Roche’s Elecsys pTau217 assay. FDA-cleared in August 2026, the test supports rule-in and rule-out assessment of amyloid pathology across primary and specialty care. The partnership aims to broaden access to earlier, less invasive Alzheimer’s diagnosis and support more timely treatment decisions.

PathAI

CEO: Andy Beck | HQ: Boston, Massachusetts 

Roche initially partnered with PathAI in 2021 to develop AI-powered digital pathology applications, integrating PathAI’s algorithms into Roche’s digital pathology platforms. The collaboration expanded in 2024 before Roche agreed to acquire PathAI in 2026 for up to US$1.05bn.