Coronavirus Update: Pune Based Startup MyLab gets approval for Covid-19 test kits

Indian Government yesterday promised 15000 crore fund for the upgrade of hospitals amidst coronavirus. As a result, ICMR has limited the test only to people with travel history. It still faces criticism from all over the world as only 15 people in a million are getting tested.

Healthcare giants as well start-ups have taken initiative to develop test-kits. It comes forward as a help in the current situation.

As the fight against the Novel Coronavirus continues, Pune based startup, MyLab has developed a test kit named Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit. The kit has received clearance from DGCI. A tweet from Shrikant Patole from MyLabs said:

Proud to announce "MyLabs" India's first and only company to launch fastest Corona testing kits.

Thanks to Mr. Pardeshi - Muncipal commissioner @mybmc @MCGM_BMC Dr. Pawar - Kasturba hospitals and Special thanks to Dr . Shashtri for evaluating kits in record breaking time. pic.twitter.com/eROaz4nFbj

— Shrikant Patole (@ShrikantPatol15) March 24, 2020

According to the company, one kit can test upto 100 people. It will reduce the report time to 2 and a half hours. This comes as good news because the kits imported from Germany take anywhere between 4-6 hours. "In the current lab-based testing it takes four hours for test results to come out. Mylab's turn around time is 2 1/2 hours," said Dr Gautam Wankhde, Medical Director Mylab to ET.

“Our capacity is manufacturing 15,000 patient tests a day. Right now there are four to 5000 PCR instruments available across the country and if every lab is permitted to conduct the tests right now, then we will provide more kits which will increase the potential to almost maybe three or four lakh tests per day,” Wankhede said.

The kit follows WHO guidelines. The company claims to manufacture upto 1 lakh test kits in the coming week. The lab claims to price the kit at around 1200 INR. Amongst other notable start-ups, Nrux and Carbon Health also developed their kits but they haven't received approval from a national regulatory body.