SOUTH AFRICA – Roche Pharmaceuticals South Africa has launched its human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling solution in countries accepting the CE mark, the multinational healthcare company said on its website.
According to Roche, the HPV test is indicated for use for routine cervical cancer screening as per professional medical guidelines, including HPV primary screening, co-testing or adjunctive screen with cytology, and for triage of women with abnormal cytology, to assess the risk for cervical precancer and cancer.
The South African pharmaceutical giant said screening for HPV can help identify women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer, so that the disease can be found and treated early before it has a chance to develop.
Roche’s HPV self-sampling solution will empower patients to privately collect their samples for HPV screening while at a healthcare facility, following instructions provided by a healthcare worker.
The pharmaceutical company explained that the clinically-validated vaginal sample is analysed with the Roche cobas® HPV test on a Roche molecular instrument.
The company further said that there are many drivers that contribute to women not participating in cervical cancer screening programs including limited access to testing, past experiences, embarrassment, and cultural influences.
Roche South Africa observed that there are many drivers that contribute to women not participating in cervical cancer screening programs including limited access to testing, past experiences, embarrassment, and cultural influences.
The healthcare company pointed out that Roche’s self-sampling solution helps reduce barriers affecting uptake of cervical cancer screening by offering women an alternative to more invasive clinician collection procedures.
In addition, the self-sampling solution will help reduce barriers to screening by providing accurate and reliable results enabling clinicians to make patient care decisions.
“Self-sampling technology is poised to transform cervical cancer prevention. In Africa, many barriers still exist for women in need of HPV screening,” said Jonathan Keytel, Head of Healthcare Transformation at Roche Diagnostics.
Jonathan Keytel noted that underdeveloped nations carry the highest burden of cervical cancer, but access to adequate treatment can be challenging.
“We hope to break down these barriers and address the prevalence of cervical cancer on a wider scale by enabling women to collect their own specimens,” Jonathan Keytel added.
According to Roche, in low- and middle-income countries, women are often diagnosed with cervical cancer at a more advanced stage, where the opportunity for cure is low.
By broadening access through removing barriers and enabling screening in additional healthcare environments, Roche highlights its commitment to achieving the World Health Organisation’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer and reduce the overall mortality rate.
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