Roche Diagnostics Middle East highlights diagnostics as the foundation of sustainable healthcare systems, as the UAE advances towards proactive, data-driven care. A laboratory result delayed by a week is a treatment delayed by a week, a principle reflected in two World Health Organization resolutions: WHA76.5 (2023) on access to in-vitro diagnostics and WHA78.13 (2025) on medical imaging capacity.
Despite informing approximately 70% of clinical decisions, in-vitro diagnostics account for less than 2% of total healthcare expenditure. Closing this gap is key to moving health systems from reactive “sick-care” to early detection and prevention.
“Diagnostics enable prevention by identifying risk before disease develops, catch illness early, guide clinicians to the right treatment and track whether it is working,” said Mohammed Omari, Head of Diagnostics UAE, Roche Middle East. “By moving diagnostics from behind-the-scenes data to the forefront of patient care, health systems can protect both clinical outcomes and long-term economic well-being.”
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The UAE’s agile regulatory frameworks, integrated data networks and focus on digital transformation and AI have created an environment where advanced diagnostics can reach patients earlier and faster, in line with national strategies such as We the UAE 2031.
Diagnosing dementia takes around three and a half years on average, and an estimated three quarters of people living with the condition are never diagnosed. Roche has received CE Mark for Elecsys pTau217, the first single-assay blood test for Alzheimer’s pathology, designed to rule in and rule out amyloid pathology across primary and secondary care. It offers accuracy comparable to spinal fluid diagnostics against PET-CT, through a routine blood draw. Plasma pTau217 is already being brought to patients at elevated risk in research settings in the UAE, including those with diabetes and other metabolic conditions.
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Under its “Ahead of Care” approach, built on Vision, Visibility and Viability, Roche is introducing solutions across the region including:
- Accu-Chek SmartGuide: An AI-enabled continuous glucose monitor that forecasts glucose levels up to two hours ahead and flags overnight low risk up to seven hours ahead. Real-world evidence published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice showed a 20% reduction in the odds of any nighttime hypoglycaemic event and a 31% reduction in severe events, without increasing hyperglycaemia.
- cobas i 601: An automated platform bringing mass spectrometry, the most sensitive technology for detecting early-stage changes, from specialised reference labs into routine clinical workflows in the UAE.
- navify digital pathology: Digitised whole slide images with AI algorithms embedded in the pathologist’s workflow, supporting faster diagnosis of complex cases, collaboration and targeted therapy selection.
- Secure, connected data: Compliance-led cybersecurity built into every digital network, in line with each market’s data protection requirements
Roche Diagnostics has been present in the region for seven decades. Its commitment rests on four pillars: long-horizon investment in regional talent; an integrated technology stack spanning core lab, molecular, tissue and point-of-care diagnostics with AI-enabled decision support; collaboration across Roche divisions through personalised healthcare, companion diagnostics and population-level screening; and sustainability and resource efficiency in how laboratories operate.
