At a time when India desperately awaits rapid testing kits from China to conduct mass-scale coronavirus tests, Gujarat-headquartered Voxtur Bio Limited has emerged as one of the few manufacturers to bail out the country in this hour of crisis.

As per the latest list released on April 14 by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Voxtur Bio Limited is among the 16 players who have received approval from the country’s apex biomedical research body for rapid antibody test kits for coronavirus.

Surat-based Voxtur Bio has developed antibody -immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) - based rapid test kits and the same has also been approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

The Covid-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test kits is most likely to be made available in the market in less than a fortnight, said the company’s Managing Director and CEO, Khushroo Pastakia, told BusinessLine .

Pastakia said, “Once we get the clearances from the regulators body and the licence in the next 3-4 days, it will take another 8-10 days for procurement of raw material, packaging material and accessories. Post that we can begin manufacturing process. So we can say after 10-12 days the product should be in the market.”

On the manufacturing capacity, Pastakia said that the company can produce one crore tests in a month. Company has its manufacturing plant at Vasai, Palghar in Maharashtra.

Notably, the ICMR has planned to buy 40-50 lakh kits worth at least ₹300 crore. While it has already placed purchase orders with the importers for at least half of the required quantity, but the deliveries are stuck due to delays from the Chinese ports.

Pastakia added that Voxtur Bio’s production processes are not dependent on import of any raw material, hence the deliveries can be assured. “All the raw materials that we are using are locally procured. So, there is no issue with the raw material or packaging material supplies.”

So far, at least a couple of government agencies have placed the order with the company. Pastakia did not divulge the details of the order, quantity or the costing of the kit. “All I can say is that the process of order has begun and we will be supplying to the government agencies,” he added.

Earlier, the Centre had issued advisory on starting rapid antibody testing of all symptomatic individuals in hotspot areas.

As per the advisory, if the antibody test are negative, if warranted, a real-time RT-PCR using throat/nasal swab can be done to reconfirm or home quarantine and repeat antibody testing after 10 days of the last rapid antibody test. And if the antibody test is positive, then the clinical assessment is to be done, following which treatment in hospital or isolation as per the protocol is to be followed.

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