HiMedia Laboratories, a bioscience company and Syngene International, an integrated R&D services company, have collaborated to manufacture ELISafe 19, an IgG-based Elisa test kit for Covid-19 now approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The ELISafe 19 antibody test kit has a sensitivity of 100 per cent and specificity of 99 per cent.

Vishal G Warke, Director R&D, Cell Culture and Immunology, HiMedia Laboratories, said, “The kit is a result of a combination of skills: Syngene’s expertise in viral research and HiMedia’s ability to manufacture and commercialise the product. The kit is ‘made in India’ and it will play a significant role in testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies facilitating tracking of the progression of infection and immunity to future infection.”

Mahesh Bhalgat, COO, Syngene International, added, “Since the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an urgent need for simple and specific testing tools that not only detect the presence of the coronavirus but also contribute to the surveillance of the immune response to the virus. The ELISafe 19 testing kit fills this gap. This type of serological detection of SARS-CoV2 antibodies will generate invaluable data and provide the basis for epidemiological studies of immunity in the community: a significant advance in the management of this highly infectious disease in India.”

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