Mylab PathoDetect: First 'Made in India' COVID-19 test kit gets ICMR nod

The Mylab PathoDetect is the first indigenous kit to receive commercial approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved 'PathoDetect', the COVID-19 test kit developed by Pune-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab Discovery Solutions.

Designed as per CDC/WHO recommended protocol, the Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit screens and detects the coronavirus infection within 2.5 hours as compared with over 7 hours taken by current protocols. A single kit costs Rs 80,000, nearly one-fourth of the currently procured kits and can test 100 patients, ANI reported on Tuesday.

The Mylab PathoDetect is the first indigenous kit to receive commercial approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). The biotech company says that it can manufacture up to 1 lakh tests in a week which can be further scaled up if needed.

We have been trying hard to make cutting edge technology available to our country at a reasonable and affordable price. Since this test is based on the sensitive PCR technology, even early stage infection can be detected, with highest accuracy as has been seen during tests at ICMR. The ICMR tested, CDSCO approved kit makes detection faster too.

Mr. Shailendra Kawade, Executive Director at Mylab

Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India has now reached 492, including 9 deaths and 36 discharged cases.