22 May 2013 - 22 May 2013 - Swiss Roche (VTX:ROG) said Wednesday it would launch this autumn a new solution, the cobas 8100 automated workflow system, developed to be used in diagnostic laboratories.

The product automatically prepares blood samples for immediate testing and post-analytical processing utilising intelligent robotics. Moreover, the solution is twice as fast in terms of processing speed as the company's previous similar product. Cobas 8100 can also be added onto existing cobas analysers, Roche noted.

According to Roche Diagnostics chief operating officer, Roland Diggelmann, the new system will reduce the lab costs and improve productivity, while simultaneously decreasing the risk of sample mix-ups or contamination due to manual handling.