Bengaluru: Mylab Discovery Solutions, the Pune-based diagnostics firm, on June 3 commenced the shipping of the country's first self-use rapid antigen test CoviSelf for COVID-19.
Priced at ₹250, the Coviself test kit would be available on the eCommerce platform Flipkart, pharmacies and drugstores across India, MyLab said in an official statement on Thursday.
Designed as the mid-nasal swab test, CoviSelf is expected to show the results in just 15 minutes.
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had granted approval for CoviSelf last month.
According to the official statement, Mylab will distribute the self-test kit to 95 per cent of the PIN codes in the county.
The company will roll out one million self-test kits starting on Thursday and based on consumer demand, it will make 10 million units available per week. The product should be available in retail within 2-3 days. The company plans to make the products available on the Government e-marketplace (GEM).
"Self-testing should slow down the spread of Covid-19 significantly. We aim to make CoviSelf available across the length and breadth of the country, especially for the people residing in rural areas who have limited options for testing," said Hasmukh Rawal, Managing Director of Mylab Discovery Solutions, in a statement. The Pune-based company had also given India its first RT-PCR Test kit last year which is now commonly used for Covid-19 tests.
CoviSelf offers a comfortable, easy-to-use and accurate alternative to the current test method. It can be used by individuals with or without symptoms and immediate contacts of confirmed cases as per the ICMR guidelines.
Designed as the mid-nasal swab test, it can detect positive results in just 15 minutes. Each unit contains a testing kit, instructions to use (IFU) leaflet and a bag to safely dispose of after testing.