Press Release: LabCorp is first US laboratory to offer molecular testing with new fully automated cobas 8800 system from Roche

Press Release: LabCorp is first US laboratory to offer molecular testing
with new fully automated cobas 8800 system from Roche

Dow Jones & Company, Inc. -- October 24, 2016

LabCorp is first US laboratory to offer molecular testing with new fully
automated cobas 8800 system from Roche

First high-throughput molecular platform approved for CLIA moderately complex
testing expected to enhance quality, streamline workflow and better utilize
staff

PR Newswire

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 24, 2016

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY)
and Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (LabCorp(R) ) (NYSE:LH)
announced today that the LabCorp Center for Esoteric Testing in Burlington,
N.C., is the first site in the United States to offer commercial testing
services with Roche's new cobas(R) 8800 system. The system automates the entire
molecular diagnostics testing process--from specimen preparation and nucleic
acid extraction/purification through polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
amplification and detection--and is the first high-throughput molecular system
to be approved by the FDA for CLIA moderately complex testing.

LabCorp, the world's leading healthcare diagnostics company, is initially
running hepatitis C viral load testing on the system and plans to add testing
for HIV and hepatitis B virus in the coming months. Because the system enables
significant workflow efficiencies, the Burlington site expects to be able to
consolidate its virology testing on a smaller number of automated platforms
while increasing its testing capacity.

'LabCorp is pleased to be the initial U.S. site to deploy this innovative system
in support of our mission to improve health and lives through world-class
diagnostics,' said Marcia Eisenberg, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of LabCorp
Diagnostics. 'Roche's cobas 8800 system automates our virology test process by
replacing multiple manual steps to enhance quality and consistency, create a
lean workflow and free up staff and space that can be used for additional high-
value tasks for the doctors and patients we serve.'

'The quality and efficiency gains that moderate complexity testing with full
automation offers can be transformational for labs doing molecular testing,'
said Whitney Green, senior vice president of commercial operations at Roche
Diagnostics. 'LabCorp is an innovator in adopting new laboratory technologies,
and this is another example of how they are taking the lead in driving
operational excellence while ensuring quality and patient safety.'

About the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 systems

The cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 systems are fully integrated, automated solutions
designed to introduce a new standard for routine molecular testing in the areas
of donor screening, viral load monitoring, women's health and microbiology.
Based on Nobel prize-winning PCR technology, the systems offer the fastest time
to results, the highest throughput and the longest walk-away time available
among automated molecular platforms, providing laboratories with improved
operating efficiency and flexibility to adapt to changing testing needs.

The systems provide up to 96 results in less than 3.5 hours, and a total of 384
results for the cobas 6800 system and 960 results for the cobas 8800 system in
an eight-hour shift. Both make it possible for labs to perform up to three tests
in the same run with no pre-sorting required. The systems also enable up to
eight hours (cobas 6800) and four hours (cobas 8800) of walk-away time with
minimal user interaction.

Roche currently offers FDA-approved viral load tests for HIV-1, hepatitis B and
hepatitis C on the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 systems in the U.S. Further menu
expansion plans include a viral load test for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and
qualitative tests for donor screening, women's health and microbiology. More
information is available at www.cobas68008800.com or usdiagnostics.roche.com.

About LabCorp(R)

Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (NYSE:LH), an S&P 500 company, is
the world's leading healthcare diagnostics company, providing comprehensive
clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services. With a mission to
improve health and improve lives, LabCorp delivers world-class diagnostic
solutions, brings innovative medicines to patients faster and develops
technology-enabled solutions to change the way care is provided. With net
revenue in excess of $8.5 billion in 2015, LabCorp's 50,000 employees serve
clients in 60 countries. To learn more about LabCorp, visit www.labcorp.com, and
to learn more about Covance Drug Development, visit www.covance.com.

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on
advancing science to improve people's lives.

Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated
medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and
diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in
vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in
diabetes management. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics
under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalized healthcare -- a
strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way
possible.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose
and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. Twenty-nine
medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model
Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials
and cancer medicines. Roche has been recognized as the Group Leader in
sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
industry eight years in a row by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100
countries and in 2015 employed more than 91,700 people worldwide. In 2015, Roche
invested CHF 9.3 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 48.1 billion. Genentech,
in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the
majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information,
please visit www.roche.com or usdiagnostics.roche.com.

COBAS is a trademark of Roche. All trademarks mentioned in this release are
protected by law.

For further information, please contact:

Todd Siesky

Senior Director, Communications

(317) 521-3966

todd.siesky@roche.com

Mike Weist

Communications Business Partner, Molecular Diagnostics

(317) 521-3112

mike.weist@roche.com

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SOURCE Roche Diagnostics