Roche wins Zug Innovation Award for COVID-19 test

Zug - Roche Diagnostics International has won the Zug Innovation Award. The Zug unit of the Roche pharmaceutical group was honored for the development of the cobas SARS-CoV-2 test. This has also contributed to the creation of 20 new jobs in Rotkreuz ZG.

Headquartered in Rotkreuz in the canton of Zug, Roche Diagnostics International AG has been presented with the Zug Innovation Award to honor in particular the development of its commercial COVID-19 test by the name of cobas SARS-CoV-2. Roche Diagnostics International played a significant role in the development of the test, according to a press release issued by canton of Zug. In so doing, the company collaborated with Roche research groups in the USA, while 20 new job roles were created in Rotkreuz across the development process.

According to information in the press release, the coronavirus test is processed using fully automated lab equipment known as cobas 6800/8800, which was also developed in Rotkreuz and is manufactured there too. Moreover, further tests are also being developed at the Rotkreuz site, including the combined test to directly differentiate between COVID-19 and flu infections.

“The Roche Diagnostics division has invested significantly in research and development processes, which of course involves the development of various SARS-CoV-2 tests; Rotkreuz is a key location in this area”, explains Silvia Thalmann-Gut, Governor and Director of Economic Affairs for the canton of Zug, in the press release, before explaining how Roche Diagnostics International is an important representative of the Zug pharma and MedTech cluster. With its commitment to containing the coronavirus crisis, the Group has shown that Zug-based companies have successfully tackled and overcome the challenges of the pandemic. It has also played a part in ensuring that “the reputation of our innovative, adaptable and internationally oriented location” is projected out to the wider world.

The Zug Innovation Award, which comes with prize money of 10,000 Swiss francs for the winners, serves to recognize the efforts undertaken by businesses based in the canton of Zug that help to create new jobs or maintain existing roles by way of economically, socially or ecologically meaningful innovations. The award is presented by the cantonal government of the canton of Zug, which appoints a jury to determine the winners.