Biocon’s research arm Syngene, which has developed Elisa antibody test kits for Covid-19, has tied up with biosciences HiMedia Laboratories for manufacturing and distribution of the kits.

These test kits, developed indigenously, test the presence of SARS-COV-2 antibodies and confirm if a patient has been exposed to the coronavirus. It has a capacity to test samples together in a single run and generates results within 3 hours.

“Syngene has developed an Elisa kit that allows higher throughput and generates faster results. We are happy to tie-up with HiMedia who will make the kits available at a large scale to significantly increase serological testing in India,” said Mahesh Bhalgat, Chief Operating Officer, Syngene International.

As part of the collaboration, Syngene will initiate tech-transfer of the kits to HiMedia for developing the prototypes for submission to CDSCO for approval. HiMedia will launch the kits in two weeks after receiving the approval and market it under its brand name ELISafe 19.

Earlier Syngene had collaborated with Pune-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab Discovery Solutions to provide raw materials for RT-PCR based Covid-19 test kits.