A Coronavirus testing kit for Rs.199/- could make tests really cheap and fast

In the absence of a vaccine to fight the Coronavirus, the medical community and authorities have been relying on testing and tracing to control the global pandemic from spreading around. The paradigm followed all over the world was mass testing followed by isolating or quarantining the afflicted so that they do not pass on the infection to others. What was worrisome about the Covid19 virus was its RO- R naught- was 3, which means that one person could infect 3 people. This was much higher than a simple influenza, which could pass on the virus to just one person.

In some ways, diagnosis arrived through testing was the beginning of a symptomatic treatment of the patients. RT-PCR was considered to be the gold standard of testing and initially each test costs a whopping Rs.4000/-. Besides, the results came after 48 hours. With the cost of the test kits falling from a high of RS.1,500-, the price of testing has been brought down further.

The possibility to reduce the cost of RT-PCR tests is now available due to inexpensive kits that give faster results (in 30 mins). According to Gene Store, a France based global leader in the healthcare diagnostic and research sector announces the “GeneStore Detection Expert” an RT PCR kit for the detection of SARS CoV2. Headed out of Provence France, GeneStore is an enterprise

driven genomics company with a global footprint. With two manufacturing facilities based in France and India, GeneStore can deliver over 2 million tests kits per month from its Facility in India. “

Gene store RT-PCR kit has ICMR approval. The press release further states- “The cost of the GeneStore Detection Expert ® at INR 199 is in line with India’s national mission of enabling affordable and low-cost testing for COVID-19. The solution has been developed to support public and private laboratories to ramp up testing in combination with automation. We have passed on the entire cost benefit enabled by our Company’s reverse integration into its supply chain to our customers.” Genestore claims that the kits manufactured by them are doing bulk of the private sector testing in India.

The company was founded in 2011 by Anubhav Anusha and it offers a range of solutions from R&D contract services for product R&D to end-to-end clinical testing projects to healthcare.