Vietnam has said it expected Swiss multinational healthcare company Roche to extend cooperation with the country in diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Le Linh Lan. Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Switzerland

Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Le Linh Lan hoped that the pharmaceutical and diagnostics company would continue to work with the embassy and Vietnam’s health authorities to promptly provide high-quality test kits to locals.

She also expected that F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd would do research for special drug, search for vaccine supply, and join hands with the Government of Vietnam and regional countries in the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lan made the statement at a virtual meeting between ASEAN member states and Roche on May 17 as part of efforts to seek cooperation opportunities in the fight against Covid-19 in the region. The event is part of activities by the ASEAN Committee in Bern (ACB).

At the meeting, Roche offered comprehensive solutions in the anti-pandemic fight, including two methods namely real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serology test popularly used in Vietnam and many countries.

The new Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 serology test can support the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in patients who have been exposed to the virus which causes Covid-19.

The detection of these antibodies could help indicate if a person has gained immunity against the virus and inform treatment decisions.

Roche said it is improving productivity to dozens of millions of test kits per month from June 2021.

Roche aims to have this test available in countries accepting the CE mark and is actively working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an Emergency Use Authorisation.

In a remark, the company said it’s important to share information and make national data transparent to help them understand more about the diseases to have the best way in vaccine and drug production.

Roche, the world’s largest biotech company, global leader in cancer drugs, and a pioneer in personalized healthcare, established its representative office in Vietnam in 1994. Since then, it has grown to become one of the largest pharmaceutical organizations in the country.