- ‘TataMD CHECK’ collaborate with CSIR-IGIB for the test.
- The test is equipped with 10 lakh tests/month capacity.
- Said to be more efficient and fast than the existing tests
THD Newsdesk, New Delhi: Tata Medical and Diagnostics Ltd (TataMD) on Monday launched new diagnostic testing for COVID-19 — declaring it to be more effective and more user-friendly than the present kits— harbouring the ability to scale up examinations on a massive range of population across the nation.
‘TataMD CHECK’ in collaboration with CSIR-IGIB (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) brought the device out.
It has been recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research and Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It shall be accessible through diagnostic centres and hospitals across India shortly, as per the company claims.
The company is in current dialogue with hospital chains, diagnostic players, and laboratories for partnership. It is equipped with a cyclic product volume of 10 lakh units a month to commence at its Chennai factory.
“We have come to a solution which provides end-to-end testing experience. We make the testing much more efficient and reliable and scalable that creates more access and availability. Moreover, this whole thing is developed in India,” Tata Medical and Diagnostics Ltd CEO Girish Krishnamurthy told PTI.
‘In June, CSIR-IGIB came up with a breakthrough to detect the COVID-19 virus by gene sensing through innovation on a platform called FELUDA using the latest CRISPR technology, which is generally used for gene editing,’ he added.
“We partnered with IGIB lab and then worked very closely with them. Getting the whole science from the lab into a product, Today we are ready for a commercial launch of the product within about 100 days. We worked very, very hard to get this system,” he added.
TataMD CHECK is a paper strip-based test with an image-based visual result readout. It needs standard laboratory supplies to conduct small batches of tests. Furthermore, it has a quick response rate of 45-50 minutes in the laboratory. The total examination time from RNA-extracted samples in the lab to result is 75 minutes only, the company announced.
It can “provide high quality, quick results using standard equipment, and minimally trained staff allow for rapid adoption and scale with potential to reach remote locations of the country.”
Embellishing the test’s advantages, Krishnamurthy claimed that the product does not demand any complex tool. Unlike the current testing models, it makes the lab setting easier. Additionally, it also consumes minor steps than the current models, making it less intricate and reducing disorganizations.
Moreover, a notable improvement of the company’s test is that examination can be done in any unit denomination. Distinctly, the current testing models need the test to be run in groups of a defined amount of units and bring out the results in a set.
“Here, this test can be done in any denomination. That makes it very, very efficient. From the time a sample is taken and brought to the lab, you can publish the results almost immediately,” he claimed.
When asked about the company’s preparedness to meet demand, he said, “Today we have created a capacity for one million per month to start with. Then we will scale it as we move along and mature it. (We are) scaling it for the need of the country because we are here to solve the problem and whatever it takes to solve the problem we will do”.
The company is currently producing the testing kit in its factory in Chennai, he said.
When asked about the test pricing, Krishnamurthy said it is currently getting standardized and regulated by the states.
“The testing pricing is done through the laboratories and diagnostics. We give the whole end-to-end testing model to the labs and diagnostics, so the pricing comes from them. Still, since we have a lot of efficiencies and other things we are building in, automatically it will play an impact on the pricing,” he said without putting an exact number.
He further said, “We are not selling a test; we are selling a testing experience. The pricing is on the overall testing, which is done by hospitals, laboratories and diagnostic centres. We are giving a very efficient and simple test to them, and that will play a role with them”.
On the company’s plans, he said, “We are entering into the diagnostics space with a fantastic futuristic technology which is in line with our strategy. The TATA Medical and Diagnostics is focussing on science-based futuristic technology to address a larger problem, and COVID happened to be the first problem we are trying to solve”.
The similar technology has got a lot of relevance in many other areas and other diseases, he said, adding, “certainly we will be coming into multiple fronts for product and space. The problem here and now is COVID-19, and there is a huge demand and huge problem to be solved. That is our first focus…”
Krishnamurthy said, “The pandemic has encouraged us to reflect on the healthcare sector and our role in bridging the many gaps that exist. Our collaboration with R&D institutions will continue to be a critical part of our strategy to introduce new diagnostic technologies like CRISPR, and develop R&D-led healthcare solutions for consumers for COVID and other infectious diseases”.
Two months away from the first anniversary of COVID-19, each innovation germinates a bud full of hope in the hearts of the Indian population. The immense efforts of the researchers, scientists, various pharmaceuticals, and other significant stakeholders have curbed the devasting situation manifold.
This innovation can rapidly increase the testing frequency leading to more patients that can be treated and cured. This is one good news, in the pool of many other dismaying ones.