DRDO's antibody detection kit DIPCOVAN approved by the DCGI
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved an antibody detection kit developed by a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), reports say. The kit, branded DIPCOVAN, is meant for COVID-19 sero-surveillance - a test that looks for antibodies for the coronavirus in the selected population sample. Here are more details on this.
Developed in collaboration with Vanguard Diagnostics
The kit can identify spike as well as nucleocapsid proteins of the coronavirus with a high sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99%, the DRDO has said, according to news agency ANI. It has been developed indigenously in partnership with Vanguard Diagnostics Private Limited, a New Delhi-based development and manufacturing diagnostics company, the defense agency revealed.
Kit approved by ICMR in April; DCGI nod this month
The kit has been tested on more than 1,000 coronavirus patient samples in several hospitals across Delhi. "Three batches of (the) product were validated during last one year," the DRDO said. The kit was approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research in April, and received the nod from the DCGI, the CDSCO, and the Ministry of Health, for sale and distribution this month.
It will cost around Rs. 75 per test
Reportedly, the kit requires 75 minutes to conduct the test and comes with a shelf life of 18 months. The product will be commercially launched in early June and it is expected to cost around Rs. 75 per test, according to News18.
DRDO's COVID-19 drug was also launched recently
Earlier this month, the DRDO's anti-coronavirus drug - 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose or 2-DG - was approved for emergency use by India's top drug regulator. On Monday, the drug's first batch, containing 10,000 doses, was launched by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. It has been developed by DRDO lab INMAS in collaboration with the Hyderabad-based firm Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.
A self-test COVID-19 kit is also here
On a related note, India's first self-test COVID-19 kit was also recently approved by the ICMR. Called the CoviSelf COVID-19 OTC Antigen LF device, the kit has been manufactured by the Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions. It comes at a price of Rs. 250 and gives results within 15 minutes. Mylab's MD says the kit will be out in the market in about one week.
India's coronavirus crisis
India has been gripped by a ferocious second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting lakhs of new infections every day over the past few weeks. In the past 24 hours, the country logged 2.59 lakh fresh coronavirus cases and more than 4,200 deaths. Daily cases in India had peaked at nearly 4,14,000 a few weeks ago. Experts have even warned of a third wave.
