New Delhi: A low cost real time RT-PCR testing kit for screening patient samples for Covid-19 was launched Wednesday. With a base price of Rs 399, the kit claims to be just as accurate as the regular test kit.
Called ‘Corosure’, the kit was developed at the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
During the video launch, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that even after factoring in the RNA isolation and laboratory charges, the cost per test was considerably cheaper compared to the currently available kits in the market. The prices range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 from state to state.
He further said IIT Delhi had granted licenses to 10 companies to manufacture Corosure, which would be available for use in authorised testing labs.
According to the institute, Corosure can give results within three hours of running the test.
Corosure was sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, which falls under the nodal Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), for approval in March. In April, IIT Delhi became the first academic institution to obtain the ICMR’s approval for a real-time PCR-based diagnostic assay.
Corosure was also approved by the Drug Controller General of India.
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“We should take this as a sign of success and not stop till our country is completely atmanirbhar,” said Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who was at the launch.
Minister of State Sanjay Dhotre, who was also present at the launch, said, “The country’s youth have a lot of passion and potential for innovation and entrepreneurship. They only need to be provided with the right climate, resources and motivation. IITs have done a great job in this sphere.”
He further commended the institute’s 40-year old Centre for Rural Development and Technology and said it had been playing a crucial role in the application of new technology in rural India.
Also read: Capacity is not what’s hindering India’s testing rate, government price caps are
I want to need rt-pcr kits for covid-19, one box
we want this kit which is worth of rs 399 emergency pls contact with us and take our order
Please do some homework before declaring prices. First, you don’t disclose the sensitivity / specificity of the kit. So, simply making it sound cheap is bad idea. Second, are you aware that almost all companies are forced to sell at dirt cheap rates to compete whatever the performance, just to survive. So where did you get this 2000-4000 cost, by the way? Cost to hospital / patient? Which one?