Romanian pharmaceutical companies Romlab and Sintofarm, with support from American investors, have launched a production line for quick tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

The line can currently produce 50,000 tests per day and its capacity can be increased to 100,000 tests per day.

The tests produced by Romlab and Sintofarm can detect the antibodies of the new coronavirus, including human IgM and IgG antibodies, in only 5 minutes, based on an intravenous blood sample.

“We come to the market with a rapid test kit for professional use in order to provide a useful tool with national applicability and facilitate the extension of testing to the entire population. We have a current production capacity of 50,000 tests per day, with the possibility of expanding in a short time to 100,000 tests per day. We make available to state institutions, and not only, a local medical device, authorized by NAMMD and EC for production and marketing, at a European quality level and a much lower price than what currently exists on the market," said Ioana Sima, general manager of Romlab.

Romlab says its quick tests are complementary to the PCR tests and can be used for mass testing the population to triage and identify the level of spread of the virus. Potential plasma donors can thus be identified to treat serious cases and when a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine becomes available, the population that does not develop antibodies to the virus could be vaccinated as a matter of priority.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)