Indian manufacturers can produce 34.8 mn RT-PCR combo kits per month: Govt

Quoting an ICMR survey, Ashwini Choubey said Indian manufacturers can manufacture around 34.8 million RT-PCR test kits per month

Indian manufacturers can produce around 3.48 crore RT-PCR combo kits per month, which gives the country a capacity to conduct around 11.35 lakh RT-PCR COVID-19 tests daily, the government said on Wednesday.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted manufacturing licenses for RT-PCR kits to 30 companies and import licenses to 119 firms, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply.

Quoting an ICMR survey, he said Indian manufacturers can manufacture around 348.1 lakh RT-PCR test kits per month.

"During March to June 2020, around 60 per cent of RT-PCR kits procured were from foreign manufacturers and the remaining 40 per cent were from Indian manufacturers.

"However, currently, 100 per cent procurement of RT-PCR combo kits is from Indian manufacturers, whereas the COBAS, CBNAAT etc kits are still being imported," he said.

The minister was responding to a question on the percentage of kits that are being manufactured indigenously and imported.

In response to another question, Choubey said the ICMR has informed that based on the current manufacturing capacity of Indian manufacturer, around 11.35 lakh RT-PCR combo tests can be conducted per day.

The 30 companieswhich have been granted manufacturing licenses for COVID-19 RT-PCR kits by the CDSCO include Mylab, Molbio Diag. Pvt Ltd, Kilpest India Ltd, Cosara Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd, Huwel Lifesciences Pvt Ltd, Ubio Biotechnology System Pvt Ltd, Affigenix Biosolutions Pvt Ltd, Biosystems Diag. Pvt Ltd, Tata Medical and Diagnostic Ltd and Athenes Dx Pvt Ltd.