‘LGUs opting for faster antigen tests’
MANILA, Philippines — More local government units (LGUs) are turning to “faster, cheaper and more reliable antigen tests” to detect COVID-19, a testing and diagnostic expert said yesterday.
Jose Miguel Vergara, chief medical officer of LabX Corp. and former director at the Bureau of Food and Drug now Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said there has been an increase in orders and inquiries for the firm’s antigen test kits.
Vergara said their test kits have “96 percent sensitivity/accuracy and almost 100 percent specificity. “
These diagnostic kits use Dry Fluorescence Immunoassay technology or machines with laser analyzers to detect the COVID-19 virus.
“Results are out in as short as 15 minutes and at almost half the cost of RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests,” Vergara said.
LabX is the official Philippine distributor of Sofia 2 manufactured by US-based Quidel Corp. as well as FINA and AgILA antigen tests made by Lansion Biotechnology Co. Ltd. of China.
Citing a Department of Health circular, Vergara said antigen kits could be used by government agencies provided these have FDA approval, met minimum specifications and validated by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine or listing by the World Health Organization’s Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics.
- Latest
- Trending
