Celltrion's coronavirus test kits hit U.S.

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonahp) -- South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Wednesday that its two kinds of diagnostic kits for the novel coronavirus began sales in the United States.

A point-of-care antigen testing (POCT) kit, dubbed "Sampinute," co-developed by local health care firm BBB, was commercialized following emergency approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Celltrion said.

The POCT kit is a portable and highly sensitive device that reduces the test time to 10 minutes, according to Celltrion. The test time is considered the quickest among kits available on the market.

Celltrion said a rapid antibody diagnostic test (RDT) kit for the coronavirus, named "DiaTrust," also came out in the market. The test is co-developed by South Korean in-vitro diagnostic company Humasis.

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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