Roche and Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation have signed a renewed 10-year contract for the joint development and manufacture of the next generation of instruments and workflow automation solutions for laboratories. Roche representatives say the renewed alliance marks a significant milestone toward new platform solutions in the company’s immunochemistry and clinical chemistry business that will help laboratories meet future needs.
The agreement follows a successful 36-year partnership that yielded a number of industry-first innovations in modular designed analyzer platforms and workflow automation instruments for the laboratory’s serum work area. This resulted in more than 55,000 installations in immunodiagnostics and clinical chemistry worldwide.
Collaboration began in 1978, when the two companies teamed up on the sale and development of automated analyzers for the clinical laboratory testing of body fluids. Since then, a new generation of laboratory solutions has paved the way for a sequence of innovations under the cobas name. Combined with the Elecsys electroluminescence (ECL) testing technology, cobas instruments augment Roche’s immunochemistry line-up.
“The new agreement is an important new chapter for us as we’re entering a new generation of modular laboratory solutions over the next few years,” says Jean-Claude Gottraux, Head of Roche Professional Diagnostics. “Thanks to an ideal combination of both parties’ expertise, our diagnostics solutions allow customers to choose from the broadest set of instruments available for each laboratory setting.” Learn more about Roche Professional Diagnostics.
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