For the first time, a COVID-19 rapid antigen test kit developed by a private company in Odisha has received the approval of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The rapid test kit can detect different types of COVID-19 using nasopharyngeal swab samples.
The COVID-19 test kit has been developed by IMGENEX India Pvt Ltd, Bhubaneswar with intellectual input from Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC). The kit can detect different types of COVID-19 using nasopharyngeal swab samples.
Dr Sanghamitra Pati, Director, RMRC, said, “Imgenex India Pvt Ltd, Bhubaneswar was the first to start developing the kit and RMRC Bhubaneswar provided intellectual support for in-house testing and validation. Subsequently, we submitted the proposal for approval. Did.”
He said that the kit ImCOV-Ag has very high sensitivity and specificity and can detect all types of COVID-19. ICMR has approved the test kit on efficacy and accuracy based on internal validation of RMRC and third party (an expert group from Kerala) report.
IMGENEX, CEO, Dr Sujay Singh said that they started work on the kit in June 2021 and ICMR approved it on Thursday following certain procedures.
He said that with the existing facilities, the firm can manufacture 2 lakh kits which can be increased to 20 lakh kits per month. Singh said the kits are likely to be available in the market in two months.
Since this is the first such kit in eastern India, the states in the region can easily avail the facility. Singh said that the market price of the kit would now be less as compared to others available in the market. Health department sources said the ICMR has so far validated 150 antigen-based rapid test kits (including 31 revalidation).
Meanwhile, Odisha on Saturday reported 15 more Covid-19 deaths, the highest in nearly five months, while infections rose to 4,842 in a day, the health department said in a bulletin.
It said the death toll rose to 8,575 and the number of coronavirus cases to 12,41,068. Khurda district, where state capital Bhubaneswar is located, recorded 1,253 new infections and three deaths.
Odisha on Friday reported 5,057 fresh cases and 10 deaths. The coastal state now has 58,533 active cases, and 11,73,907 patients have recovered from the disease so far, including 10,511 since Friday, the bulletin said. It tested 63,871 samples for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours at a positivity rate of 7.58 per cent.
(with inputs from agencies)
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