By Ojoma Akor
Roche Diagnostics has launched an initiative to support countries in strengthening sustainable, integrated health systems to test for TB and multiple high-burden diseases at once.
A statement from the organisation said the initiative, tagged Integration Accelerated, is a new approach designed to support countries in expanding access to diagnostics while making better use of existing infrastructure.
It said many African countries have made strong progress in combating TB, but further acceleration is needed to meet global targets.
The organisation said integration of diagnostic testing offers a practical way to expand access and improve efficiency using existing infrastructure.
TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with an estimated 10.7 million cases and 1.23 million deaths globally in 2024.
Africa has made significant progress, achieving some of the fastest declines worldwide, with new cases down 28% and deaths down 46% since 2015.
At the same time, the region continues to bear a substantial share of the global burden, accounting for around a quarter of new cases and over 30% of deaths.
A meaningful proportion of cases are still not diagnosed or reported, and the close link between TB and HIV continues to shape the complexity of care in many countries.
With resources becoming more constrained, accelerating progress will depend on how effectively existing technologies and infrastructure are used to expand access and strengthen care delivery.
Roche Diagnostics said, “Integration Accelerated focuses on enabling the use of established HIV diagnostic platforms to support additional testing for TB, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Hepatitis. This allows countries to extend the reach of their current systems, taking a “whole patient” approach, and strengthening overall laboratory efficiency without requiring additional capital investment.
“The initiative aligns with growing national priorities across Africa, where health systems are increasingly focused on scalable, cost-effective solutions that support long-term resilience and improve patient outcomes.”
Integration Accelerated includes optimisation of existing diagnostic capacity. This all-inclusive model drives cost savings across multiple infectious disease areas and provides tailored technical support to assist with implementation in diverse country contexts.
Dr Allan Pamba, Executive Vice President for Roche Diagnostics, Africa, said, “In 2025, the world stopped funding the old way of doing health. In 2026, Roche launches a new way. We aim to make Integration Accelerated the catalyst for countries across Africa to increase their impact within the realities of budget constraints.
“Integration Accelerated helps countries break the vertical, donor-driven silos to build resilient, integrated health systems of the future. By integrating TB, HPV, and Hepatitis testing onto the extensive footprint of HIV instruments already in place, it turns spare capacity into timely life-saving diagnostic results and enables holistic patient care.”
Roche is the leading Industry partner providing solutions and technical assistance required to drive the implementation of this change in complex local contexts across Africa. Integration Accelerated aims to optimise existing medium and high-volume diagnostics instruments to help countries avoid unnecessary additional investments.
Integration Accelerated’s access model covering HIV, TB, HPV, and Hepatitis B and C will generate savings for Ministries of Health. A menu of add-on technical assistance offerings will assist with integration implementation, customised to individual country contexts.
“As countries continue to strengthen their TB responses, integration offers a clear and practical pathway to expand access, improve efficiency, and support more coordinated results for patients, ” Dr. Pamba added.