–Pharmaceutical companies say rapid testing can help ease lockdown
–Chughtai Lab executive says antibody tests aren’t meant for individual diagnosis
LAHORE: In a bid to speed up coronavirus testing, some pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan have procured new testing kits from China which can detect the virus through antibodies “within 20 minutes”, however these kits are yet to be approved by the concerned authorities.
A representative of Nawan Laboratories told Pakistan Today that IgM (Immunoglobulin M) / IgG (Immunoglobulin G) Antibody to Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) test is only designated for vitro qualitative detection in human serum, plasma and venous whole blood. “This test is only used as a supplementary detection index for a suspected case who has tested negative with COVID-19 nucleic acid detection, or is used in convention with the nucleic acid detection test,” she said.
She also said that the test, which produces the results in 15 minutes, supports single detection and can be operated either manually or using automatic equipment. It also supports separate detection of IgM and IgG and the two results are isolated from each other, she added.
He further said that this test detects coronavirus in patients rather quickly, whereas the conventional test produces the results in 48 hours. “It works just like a diabetes kit,” she added.
Meanwhile, Dr Hammad, another representative of Nawan Labs, said that the test had been approved by FDA and CFDA and is now being used across the world to fight the pandemic by screening people rapidly. “The conventional tests take 48 hours to process the results, and within this period, any undiagnosed patient can spread the virus to others,” he said, adding that this new test would produce the same results but in 15-20 minutes, which allows authorities to take timely action.
He also said that once the lockdown is eased, this test would enable the corporate sector to screen employees rapidly. “So far, companies with 100 or more employees have already screened their employees through this test,” he added.
Dr Hammad said that the pharmaceutical sector is currently holding talks with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the government for using thee kits so that people can be rapidly screened and isolated. “Pharmaceutical companies have already placed orders for these kits are waiting for the government’s approval for using them,” he said, adding that ultimately these will be used for speeding up coronavirus testing.
He also said that these kits were approved by the regulatory bodies and are expensive as compared to cheap alternatives which produce unreliable results. “A pack of 10 is sold for Rs25,000,” he added.
On the other hand, Chughtai Labs Director Operations Dr Omar Chughtai viewed these tests with skepticism and said that antibody tests are not perfect for diagnosing infections.
“Antibody tests show whether someone has been exposed to the virus in the past,” he said, adding that at this point they are only approved for research for disease surveillance and not diagnosis of individual cases.
