Covid-19 pandemic: Abbott to supply over 1 million antibody tests to India

Abbott said it is already in the process of delivering antibody tests to leading government and private hospitals and labs across different states

US-based healthcare technology maker Abbott on Monday said it can supply over one million of its laboratory-based serology blood test for the detection of the antibody, IgG (Immunoglobulin G), that identifies if a person has had the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Abbott said it is already in the process of delivering antibody tests to leading government and private hospitals and labs in Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat.

"Abbott is pleased to contribute to ICMR's (Indian Council of Medical Research) Covid-19 antibody testing strategy to use IgG CLIA antibody tests," Narendra Varde, General Manager and Country Head at Abbott's diagnostics business in India, said in a statement.

"Abbott's recently launched SARS-CoV-2 IgG test can be used to understand the spread of transmission in high risk populations such as healthcare workers, immune-compromised individuals, frontline workers, or those in containment zones."

"These tests also provide valuable information to the public health officials about the spread in asymptomatic cases, helping us assess the impact of our public health efforts now and guide our Covid-19 response moving forward," Varde added.

Mumbai's Hinduja hospital was one of the first hospitals to evaluate the test in India.

"This test is useful to clinicians and the community -- our initial testing has yielded specific results for patients who were RT-PCR positive for Covid-19," said Tester F. Asha Vaid, Chief of Labs (Admn), Director Lab Research at Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai.

Abbott's SARS-CoV-2 IgG test specifically identifies the IgG antibody, which is a protein that the body produces in the late stages of infection and may remain for up to months and possibly years after a person has recovered.