While the word is struggling battle against coronavirus. At the same time many countries trying to make a good money on supplying various essential goods and services but every Indians are thinking of innovations on how to survive and struggle to fight against the deadly virus outbreak. First made-in-India test kit for COVID-19 is developed in a record time.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of one virologist, Minal Dakhave Bhosale, who gave India its first COVID-19 testing kit. She is the chief of the research and development of Mylab Discovery in Pune who delivered on a working test kit, just hours before delivering her baby .
India has not got its own test kit through which the test can be done in just under 10 minutes. The test recognized by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune under the virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale has been achieving accolades.
Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd, which specialises in molecular diagnostic kits has developed first made-in-India test kit for COVID-19 in a record time of 6 weeks. The kit — Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit — is the first one to receive commercial approval from the Indian FDA/ Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation.
The first made-in-India coronavirus testing kits reached the market, raising hopes of an increase in screening of patients with flu symptoms to confirm or rule out the Covid-19 infection.
Mylab is the only Indian company to have achieved 100 % sensitivity and specificity in the ICMR evaluation. The kit has been made as per WHO/CDC guidelines. Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit screens and detects the infection within 2.5 hours, compared to 7-plus hours taken by current protocols.
With local sourcing of test kits, it will be a breakthrough for India as the testing kit by Mylab would cost nearly one-fourth of the current procurement cost. Great. Join with us to congratulate team Mylab.
The manufacturing unit is working through the weekend and the next batch will be sent out on Monday,” Dr Gautam Wankhede, Mylab’s director for medical affairs said.
The molecular diagnostic company, which also makes testing kits for HIV and Hepatitis B and C, and other diseases, says it can supply up to 100,000 Covid-19 testing kits a week and can produce up to 200,000 if needed.
Each Mylab kit can test 100 samples and costs 1,200 rupees , that’s about a quarter of the 4,500 rupees that India pays to import Covid-19 testing kits from abroad.
