This Chennai-based company is building Covid-19 kits that can test hundreds of samples a day

• Trivitron Healthcare said that it has built test kits for Coronavirus.
• It aims to sell these test kits for ₹500-₹1,000 per test.
• In India, there is a reported shortage of test kits, which could be a big problem as the number of positive cases keeps increasing.

Trivitron Healthcare, a medical technology company from Chennai has said that it has built test kits for Coronavirus. These kits can test hundreds of samples in a single day.

The 23-year-old company had begun its research and development for the test kits when the outbreak began in China.

“Our R&D team was alert, and we started to keep a track of this disease from various sources. We also regularly visited the official website of the Chinese health agency to gather information like statistical data, progress of the disease, any relevant piece of information, ongoing research and level of preparedness of the Chinese Government,” said Dr GSK Velu, chairman and managing director, Trivitron Healthcare Group.

In India, there is a reported shortage of test kits, which could be a big problem as the number of positive cases keeps increasing.

Trivitron aims to sell these test kits for ₹500-₹1,000 per test. “We have rich experience in developing cost-effective health technology products including diagnostic kits. We made use of our experience, expertise and technology to develop the kit keeping in mind the purchasing power of the populace,” said Dr GSK Velu.

According to the company, the kit can be used in all 5 sample types recommended by NIV/ WHO as long as RNAs are separated from these samples.

“It will take around 2-3 weeks more for the kits to enter into the market, as we are in the process of validation of the kits at government approved facilities. We have the capacity to manufacture 500 to 750,000 tests kits per day,” said Dr GSK Velu.

Meanwhile, Ahmedabad-based company CoSara Diagnostics has gotten a licence from Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) to produce Covid-19 test kits.

SEE ALSO
The test for coronavirus is the same as the one for swine flu⁠— and that could cost up to ₹15,000 in private labs