Roche sends testing equipment to help contain Ebola outbreak in DRC

Nearly 8,000 confirmed cases and about 3,800 deaths had been recorded by the end of September, according to the World Health Organization, as Ebola continued to spread through the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Roche, the Basel based pharmaceutical group, is sending laboratory equipment to help authorities increase testing capacity. The company said on October 7 that it would provide two molecular testing devices to the DRC’s National Institute of Public Health. Once the equipment is prepared and local staff are trained, teams will deploy it in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province.

The timing matters because testing determines how quickly health teams can isolate patients, trace contacts and direct medical resources. The WHO says the outbreak began in May and is the largest ever recorded in the DRC. It has affected 63 health zones across seven provinces, with Ituri among the hardest hit areas.

The WHO has classified the risk level in the country as very high. Roche’s contribution will not resolve the wider shortages facing the response, but it gives national laboratories additional equipment at a point when confirming suspected infections remains central to controlling transmission.

Two molecular testing devices will be installed in Bunia after local laboratory staff complete training. The machines are intended to expand the DRC’s limited ability to process samples close to affected communities.

Roche said its teams will train laboratory personnel before the devices enter service. That preparation is important in an Ebola response, where sample handling, protective procedures and result interpretation all require specialised skills. A laboratory result can guide decisions about isolation, contact tracing and the allocation of treatment and response teams.

The equipment will also support a trial of Roche’s PCR test for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. PCR testing looks for the virus’s genetic material in a patient sample. In practical terms, the test could help laboratories identify infections linked to the strain involved in the outbreak, subject to the results of the trial and the applicable regulatory requirements.

Roche has said it plans to provide additional tests and equipment if the initial work is successful. The company’s support therefore has two parts: immediate laboratory infrastructure and an evaluation of a test that could become useful in the response. The DRC will still need trained staff, reliable supplies and strong links between laboratories and field teams.

The outbreak has reached 63 health zones in seven provinces, placing pressure on a response that must cover large distances and difficult operating conditions.

Ituri is among the hardest hit areas. Bunia’s role as a regional centre makes it a practical location for additional testing capacity, allowing samples from surrounding communities to be processed closer to the outbreak. Faster access to molecular testing can reduce the time between a suspected infection and a confirmed result, although the speed of the overall response also depends on transport, sample collection and communications.

The confirmed figures cited by the WHO, nearly 8,000 cases and approximately 3,800 deaths by the end of September, describe the scale of the challenge. They also represent only confirmed infections and deaths recorded by the response system. Health teams must continue investigating suspected cases and tracing people who may have been exposed.

The DRC has faced repeated Ebola outbreaks, and its responders have developed experience in surveillance, vaccination, infection prevention and community engagement. The current spread across multiple provinces tests those systems at scale. Roche’s equipment adds laboratory capacity in one location, while national authorities and international partners must connect that capacity to clinics, field teams and communities across the affected zones.

Roche’s Ebola test has not yet been approved for diagnostic use. The company will first trial the PCR test for the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, where it is intended for research use only.

That distinction sets clear limits on what the test can do during the current response. The trial may generate evidence about performance in local samples and laboratory conditions, but the device and test will need to meet relevant requirements before they can be used as an approved diagnostic tool. Until then, health authorities will continue to rely on established procedures and authorised testing systems.

For Roche, the initiative places a Swiss pharmaceutical company directly alongside public health institutions working under severe pressure. The company is headquartered in Basel, and its contribution reflects Switzerland’s broader role in global health through pharmaceutical research, diagnostics and international cooperation. The immediate objective is practical: help the DRC process more samples and assess whether a strain-specific test can support future responses.

Roche said it would supply additional tests and equipment if the trial succeeds and further support is needed. The next steps will depend on the trial results, regulatory decisions and the DRC’s operational requirements. For communities in Ituri, the value of the intervention will ultimately be measured by whether laboratories can deliver reliable results to the teams responding to patients and contacts.