Treatment

Treating infectious diseases

Modern medicines and molecular diagnostic tests today support patients and healthcare professionals in the battle against infectious diseases.

The ability of viruses to keep adapting makes them notoriously hard to fight but Roche has a track record of groundbreaking research and development with a portfolio of innovative products that support treatment.

For influenza, we co-developed a neuraminidase inhibitor - one of the latest class of treatments that specifically attack the influenza A and B viruses. The medicine works by stopping the virus replicating.

For HIV, our teams discovered the first HIV protease inhibitor, which radically changed the outlook for people with the disease. We also played a crucial role in the development of the first fusion inhibitor which works by blocking the virus from entering the human immune cell.

Roche provides a range of medicines for HIV-related conditions, including cytomegalovirus (CMV) which can cause blindness in people with HIV and AIDS. Our goal is to enable the regular monitoring of the virus, its response to treatment and any resistance, enabling specialists to adjust treatment if needed.

Patients with mild sepsis may be treated at home with antibiotics but severe cases need to be treated in intensive care. Whilst technology supports bodily functions, such as breathing or blood circulation, the infection is treated with intravenous antibiotics. 

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia are both treated with antibiotics – either taken as tablets or given by injection.