COVID 19 Testing Kits Industry Updates

Novel Corona Virus is being tested by the professionals by conducting mainly two types of tests. One of the two main types is to look for RNA of the virus using a technique called RT-PCR. Swabs from mouth or nose are used to collect material which further detects whether there is any sign of virus or not. This method can detect even a little particle of virus. The second test type measures and detects the antibody’s responses to virus in blood serum, plasma or blood sample. These testing processes are not very time taking but in the current situation where hundreds and thousands are being diagnosed with Covid 19 on a daily basis, testing each and every person is a bit difficult. For this reason in many countries government has ordered a curfew and lockdown and told people with mild symptoms to stay at home as this virus can only be detected at the moment and does not have any vaccine right now which can help, but people with severe symptoms are given a proper checkup.

This virus is a pandemic which has threatened the world; it is growing so rapidly that there has been a shortage of testing kits worldwide. In these hard times specialists in many countries tried to make their own testing kits, and at the same time many frauds made unreliable homemade testing kits which were banned.

An Indian company ‘Mylab Discovery’ has been the first in the country to get an approval by Indian FDA or Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of manufacturing Covid 19 testing kits. These kits will be for RT-CPR tests and these can study 1000 sample from large labs and 200 samples from smaller labs. Also the company is expected to manufacture one lack kits in a week so they can meet the need of hour. The overall scenario has eld to an increase in demand in the medical supplied market.

A Singapore based medtech company ‘Biolidics’ is also working on creating Covid 19 testing kits which they said that will be available in the month of April 2020. Biolidics got an approval from Singapore’s Health Science Authority to use these testing kits in Singapore. The company also states that there test kits will give result in ten minutes with 95% of accuracy.

A US based company ‘Simens Healthineers’ also announced to launch its molecular Fast Track Diagnostic (FTD) SARS-CoV-2 Assay test kit to be used to detect any presence of Covid 19. There kits are shipped in European Union for research use and the company is in touch with World Health Organization and has further begun discussions with U.S Food and Drug Administration for release of the test under emergency measures.

In Bangladesh Scientists have claimed to develop a Covid 19 testing kit under $3 but the researchers are worried about the kits’ efficiency and accuracy. Bangladesh scientists claim that their kits can give results just in 15 minutes but researchers say their efficiency should be tested before any kind of approval.

Similar kit as made by Bangladesh was developed in China too, in January. And according to Guardian report, Australian government permitted four of its companies to import these china made kits. But the experts showed their concern saying that these testing kits have a margin of error in showing results as the kits do not look for virus but the antibodies which are produced by white blood cells.

In U.S Wellness Matrix Group was selling at home Covid 19 testing kits, the company’s trading has been temporarily suspended as the company claimed that it is selling FDA approved at home testing kits. In an interview, the company’s vice president of marketing also said assured the tests to be FDA approved. In the contrary, FDA stated that there is no at home Covid 19 testing kit approved by FDA. The buyers reported that the company scammed them, they purchased the test kits but they did not receive any kit in the mail. This made things difficult for Wellness Matrix Group. According to NPR, the test kits receipts shown that more than $1000 purchased was made. However the company later claimed that its sole intention was to help people by selling test kits to health care providers and pledged to offer refunds to customers.

Source: COVID 19 Test Kit Market Size, Share, Competition, Revenue, Trend, Estimation and Forecast Research Report, 2020 - 2027