Apollo Hospitals and CSIR-CCMB join to manufacture and commercialise COVID-19 test kits

Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director, CSIR-CCMB said, “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.”

Called the Direct Amplification rapid RT-PCR (DArRT-PCR) - for SARS-CoV-2 detection, this rapid test will be available nationally through the Apollo Hospitals network.

According to a release by the Apollo Hospitals, the DArRT-PCR test allows for rapid, safer and more cost-effective SARS-COV-2 testing.

The sample collection centres can send dry nasal or oropharyngeal swabs to testing centres with no need for the imported and expensive Viral Transport Medium.

The biological sample can be directly isolated from the patient swabs, and tested using a one-step protocol.

Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Widespread testing will enable quick identification, immediate isolation and early treatment to prevent spread. 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. 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.”