Local SME to mass-produce Sars-CoV-2 diagnostic test kits

LOCAL medtech firm MiRXES will take charge of mass-producing locally-developed diagnostic test kits for the novel coronavirus, as Singapore prepares to meet high levels of demand both locally and internationally for fast, accurate SARS-CoV-2 tests.

The diagnostic test kit was developed within just three weeks by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and has received provisional authorisation from the Health Sciences Authority. (see amendment note)

It uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to directly detect the pathogen that causes the Covid-19 disease, as opposed to other methods that detect antibodies produced in response to an infection, for instance. Singapore has sent 10,000 of these tests to China, and another 5,000 to local public hospitals.