Roche: Making Preventative Healthcare Accessible to All

Roche is one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies, growing to become a leading provider of transformative solutions since its founding more than 125 years ago.

It focuses on preventing, stopping or altogether curing diseases with the highest societal burden in order to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

Roche says: “From developing diagnostics and treatments, to harnessing the power of data to shape innovations of the future, we are a healthcare company with a culture of integrity, courage and passion.”

What are Roche’s goals?

Roche’s aim is to address patient needs along their entire journey, including screening, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.

Its two business arms operate in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, which work to develop innovative treatments across major disease areas and use science and data to change the way diseases are prevented and diagnosed.

Dr Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Roche Group, says: “Our ambition is clear: to prevent, stop and cure diseases. And by doing so, improve people’s health while significantly reducing costs for patients and healthcare systems worldwide.

“The world is changing rapidly – and Roche has been changing with it.

“What remains the same, is our dedication to people and our determination to sustainably improve the health of millions of people worldwide.”

One of Roche’s goals is to improve access to healthcare, by partnering with health systems and healthcare organisations to support investment in healthcare and the delivery of high quality care.

It takes a value-based approach to the pricing of its medicines, which reflects the benefits they give to patients, their families and wider healthcare systems and society as a whole.

Through this approach, Roche aims to support access to its medicines while continuing to invest into complex areas of drug development.

“By working in partnership with stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum – from governments and payers to non-governmental organisations, multilaterals and insurance companies – we will continue to develop tailored solutions that help overcome the barriers and ensure rapid, broad and sustainable access, no matter where people live,” says Roche.

Working to prevent cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a primary focus area for Roche.

In the US, factors like lack of awareness, limited access to care, cultural barriers and past trauma contribute to 11,500 new cases and 4,000 deaths from cervical cancer each year, according to the Centres for Disease Control.

Roche works with organisations and governments around the world to encourage HPV vaccination, screening and treatment as part of primary and preventative care.

Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by the virus, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted through sexual activity.

Regular cervical screenings check for HPV and detect early abnormal changes in the cervix, which helps to identify patients who may be at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

Joanna Sickler, Head of Global Health Policy for Roche Diagnostics, says: “We have an opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer in the US and around the world by rethinking how we provide preventative services and healthcare, overcoming very real barriers for a significant proportion of the population.

“We have an opportunity to empower women to take their health into their own hands, make healthcare providers’ jobs easier and reach hard-to-reach populations, especially in the US, where vaccines, diagnostic tests and treatments are readily available.

“Let’s work together, and independently within our healthcare systems, to find solutions that work for both patients and providers.”