Roche India on Thursday announced the launch of its Covid-19 at-home testing kit. “The over-the-counter test is intended to be used for detection of Sars CoV-2 infection in individuals with symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 and is approved by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research),” the company said in a statement.
Roche is known for manufacturing diagnostic test kits including the gold standard RT-PCR, and rapid antigen to detect Covid-19 in a lab. It said the home-based kit can successfully detect the Sars-CoV-2 virus including the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
By following instructions, individuals can perform the self tests at home without special training or the supervision of healthcare workers, and expect results in 15 minutes.
“The test collects the sample from the front area of the nose instead of the nasopharynx, resulting in a simplified and more comfortable sampling procedure,” said the company. It added that the kit will be available at e-pharmacies and local pharmacies and would require no prescriptions.
Narendra Varde, managing director, Roche Diagnostics India and Neighbouring Markets, said, “Roche has been at the forefront of reliable and benchmark diagnostic solutions for 125 years. Covid-19 At-Home Test is the newest addition to Roche’s comprehensive Covid-19 test solutions and allows convenient anytime, anywhere access to testing. As the third wave sets in, accessibility to such simple, convenient, fast and instrument-free self-test can contribute significantly to help us better manage our lives and health during the ongoing pandemic.”
The kit includes a test cassette, a sterile swab, a tube with liquid and nozzle cap, along with a step-by-step guide and QR code to access the instruction video.
Users will have to download the My Covid-M app using the QR code which will help them read and interpret the test results and also update the results to the ICMR database.
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