Roche focuses on diagnostics to help cut healthcare costs

Singapore

GIVEN the sweeping trend in Asia - the growing middle class, a rapidly ageing population and an explosion of lifestyle diseases - Roche Diagnostics has pumped money into expanding its diagnostics value chain to help change medical practice and improve quality of care.

Managing director of Roche Diagnostics Asia-Pacific Lance Little told The Business Times that while diagnostics influences over 60 per cent of decisions made by doctors on treatments of diseases and disorders, and that it is essential when it comes to formulating medical guidelines, it receives only 2 per cent of healthcare funding worldwide.

"Laboratories are usually the first 'victims' when it comes to budget cuts. As the worldwide market leader …