National Jewish and Roche Reach Agreement

National Jewish Health and Roche Diagnostics Corporation have reached a strategic agreement to pursue opportunities in the growing field of environmental molecular diagnostics. This partnership will combine National Jewish’s expertise in clinical testing and care for patients with respiratory and environmental diseases with Roche’s state-of-the-art technology to bring new diagnostic solutions to the market.

The two companies are initially collaborating on the introduction of a consumer product to test indoor air quality. The Family Air Care^® product will measure indoor allergens from cats, dogs, cockroaches, dust mites and mold. It will target 40 million Americans with allergic rhinitis and 20 million with asthma, many of whom suffer exacerbations from indoor allergens. Roche is supplying technology and assays to evaluate the level of mold in an indoor environment, and National Jewish is developing testing platforms and protocols using the Roche technology. Roche, the world’s largest biotech company, is also a leading research-focused healthcare group in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.  Testing will be implemented in the Molecular Diagnostics lab of Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories, a National Jewish referral lab well known for its excellence in specialized testing. The Family Air Care^® Indoor Allergens and Mold test kit will be available in fall 2008.

“National Jewish and Roche both recognize molecular diagnostics as an important and growing field. We have decided to pool our complementary expertise to bring new solutions to market that better serve consumers with allergy and asthma,” said David Tinkelman, MD, Vice President of Health Initiatives at National Jewish. “Because one out of every two American households has someone suffering from allergies and/or asthma, we believe the Family Air Care^® assessment is a tremendous initial product for our partnership.”

“Roche is committed to leveraging our diagnostic technologies and expertise to bring more accurate and efficient offerings to the field of environmental health,” said Lonnie Shoff, Senior Vice President of Roche Applied Science in the United States.  “Our relationship with National Jewish is an example of that commitment, and an important step in our plans to bring future solutions to this market.”

National Jewish has also reached agreements with EcoBroker International and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors to assist in distribution and marketing of the Family Air Care^® test kit. Green Depot, the nation’s leading retail source for environmentally friendly building supplies, will also offer the Family Air Care^® test kit online and at its retail outlets along the East Coast.