Roche ’s Elecsys IL-6 test receives FDA Emergency Use Authorisation to help in identifying patients at high risk of severe inflammatory response

             Basel, 4 June 2020 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Elecsys ® IL-6 test. This test measures levels of the biomarker interleukin 6 (IL-6) and can be used to help identify patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease who could be at high risk of intubation with mechanical ventilation. The test can support physicians, in combination with other examinations and vital signs, to decide early on if a patient with confirmed COVID-19 illness requires mechanical ventilation. “The FDA EUA approval of Elecsys IL-6 is another step in our commitment to deliver fast and reliable diagnostic tests to help fight the coronavirus pandemic,” said Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Diagnostics. “In the current situation, time is specifically critical. The test could help physicians in the quick identification of severe inflammatory response in patients infected with the SARS CoV-2 virus.”“In the current pandemic, Roche’s Elecsys IL-6 test was helpful as an early indicator for acute inflammation and in the management of critically ill patients,” said Tobias Herold, MD from the Emergency Department, University Hospital, LMU University Munich, Germany. " Elevated IL-6 values help us to identify patients with a high risk of upcoming respiratory failure. Hospitals and reference laboratories can run the Elecsys IL-6 test on Roche ’s cobas e® analy...
Source: Roche Investor Update - Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news