Roche Launches the Cobas® Pulse System, an Industry First Professional Blood Glucose Management Solution with Mobile Digital Health Capabilities to Improve Patient Care

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced the launch of the cobas® pulse system in select countries accepting the CE Mark. The cobas® pulse system marks Roche Diagnostics’ newest generation of connected point of care solutions for professional blood glucose management. As an industry first, the cobas® pulse system combines the form factor of a high-performance blood glucose meter with simple usability and expanded digital capabilities similar to that of a smartphone.

Glucose is among the most important biomarkers to assess patient health and predict, diagnose and manage metabolic disorders¹. In particular, the management of blood glucose in patients is critical to preventing acute and chronic complications that may lead to increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Against the backdrop of a rising epidemic of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, the need to regularly perform this critical intervention adds to an ever-growing list of responsibilities facing stretched healthcare systems and professionals.

“Frontline health workers are under increasing pressure to not only accurately diagnose patients, but also make appropriate decisions on all aspects of disease management and patient care,” says Thomas Schinecker, CEO, Roche Diagnostics. “Our commitment is to equip them with high-performance innovations that represent a real step change in their working lives. We are pleased to introduce a truly novel solution that puts actionable clinical insights, and a near limitless range of digital capabilities for patient care, in the palms of their hands.”

Designed for professional use in a range of care settings where timely and informed clinical decisions are needed, the cobas® pulse system introduces several advancements that aim to drastically simplify workflows for busy nurses and doctors and improve their ability to deliver care at the bedside.

For the first time in a point of care device, the cobas® pulse system is equipped with digital health applications based on the Android operating system that perform a range of clinically valuable functions – from clinical decision support to the measurement of vital signs and digital biomarkers. The Roche-selected apps are enabled by a digital platform called Smart, the newest module of the cobas® infinity edge suite of software solutions. The pairing of the cobas® pulse system with cobas® infinity edge smart marks the first integrated solution from Roche Diagnostics to leverage a pioneering business-to-business partnership model that connects developers of digital health solutions with healthcare professionals as customers. At the time of launch, Roche has already secured partnerships with several innovative companies and start-ups in the field (e.g. S4DX, imito, decide (GlucoTab), Glytec, CardioSignal, and SteadySense (SteadyTemp)).⁷

Following first commercial availability under CE Mark in select markets, Roche plans to seek CE IVDR and FDA clearance for the cobas® pulse system in other global markets throughout 2022.