New Delhi: DRDO on Friday declared its achievement in developing an antibody detect-based kit for Coronavirus testing. The kit named DIPAS-VDx COVID 19 IgG Antibody Microwell ELISA or DIPCOVAN can be used for sero-surveillance for detecting the presence of Covid antibodies amongst the population.
According to DRDO, the kit can detect average levels and spike of nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97% & specificity of 99%. Developed after indigenous research by several scientists across the states, the kit has proven efficient during its trials.
DRDO said three batches of the product had been validated during the last year. DRDO added that the kit offers a faster turn-around time as the results can be obtained in just 75 minutes. The kit has a shelf life of 18 months. While the kit was approved by ICMR in April 2021, a month later the product was regularized by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to manufacture for sale and distribution.
By the first week of June, Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd is expected to launch the kit. Readily available stock at the time of launch will be 100 kits (approximately 10,000 tests) with a production capacity of 500 kits/month after the launch. It is expected to be available at about Rs 75 per test. The kit is believed to be very useful for understanding COVID-19 epidemiology and assessing an individual’s previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure.
Earlier this week, DRDO launched the 2DG Anti-COVID Drug, developed by DRDO’s INMAS in coalition with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.