Celltrion eyes exports of virus test kits in July

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonahp) -- South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Tuesday that it will export two kinds of diagnostic kits for the novel coronavirus starting next month.

A point-of-care antigen testing (POCT) kit, co-developed by local health care firm BBB, will first be commercialized in countries that lack diagnostic infrastructure, Celltrion said.

The POCT kit is a portable and highly sensitive device that reduces the test time to between 15 and 20 minutes, according to Celltrion. The test time is considered the quickest among kits available on the market.

"A prototype of Celltrion's POCT kit for COVID-19 showed more than 95 percent sensitivity," said a company official who asked not to be named.

Celltrion said a rapid antibody diagnostic test (RDT) kit for the coronavirus is scheduled to come out next month.

Through a distribution agreement with South Korean in-vitro diagnostic company Humasis, RDT kits will be launched in various countries, including Europe, according to Celltrion.

The new antibody detection test is most suitable for identifying acute or early infection of the COVID-19 virus, Celltrion said.

khj@yna.co.kr
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