CSIR-CCMB, Apollo Hospitals to jointly produce, commercialise COVID-19 test kits

CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Apollo Hospitals on Thursday said they have tied-up to jointly produce and commercialise rapid test kits for COVID-19 detection. CCMB and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise will collaborate for joint manufacturing and commercialisation of a dry swab test -- Direct Amplification rapid RT-PCR (DArRT-PCR) -- for SARS-CoV-2 detection, the entities said in a joint statement.

The test kit has been developed by CSIR-CCMB and the collaboration with Apollo will focus on scaling up production and commercialisation of the tests jointly, it added. The rapid DArRT-PCR tests, which allows for rapid, safer and more cost-effective SARS-COV-2 testing, will be available nationally through the Apollo Hospitals network.

''As people are getting back to their normal lives and businesses, it is important for us to ramp up our testing for the coronavirus. The virus will be here for some time, it seems, and those who test more frequently will be able to contain the impact of COVID-19 better,'' CSIR-CCMB Director Rakesh Mishra said. With Apollo and its vast network of hospitals and health services, CSIR-CCMB is positive about impacting many lives towards better health, he added.

''As India continues to unlock, easy availability of cost-effective, reliable testing for COVID-19 is the key to getting back to normal. Widespread testing will enable quick identification, immediate isolation, and early treatment to prevent spread,'' Apollo Hospitals Group Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy said. With nearly half of all COVID-19 infections transmitted by people who are asymptomatic, these easy and quick tests will go a long way in facilitating the identification of infected individuals who may be asymptomatic or presymptomatic, she added.

These tests will give a boost to the efforts to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 and will play a major role in controlling the pandemic, Reddy noted..