Abbott's COVID-19 laboratory-based antibody tests to be available in India by May-end

Global healthcare major Abbott on Monday said it has received CE mark for its laboratory-based serology blood tests for COVID-19 and these tests will be available in India by the end of May.

The company will begin shipping the tests to India during May and will scale up to meet the demands subsequently, Abbott said in a statement.

"Abbott has been singularly focused on bringing COVID-19 tests to market as quickly as possible to help address this pandemic. We are proud to be providing our antibody tests in the coming weeks as they will help understand who has had the virus, leading to greater confidence as we get to living life," Abbott's diagnostics business in India General Manager and Country Head Narendra Varde said.

Antibody testing is an important step to tell if someone has been previously infected. It will provide more understanding of the virus including how long antibodies stay in the body and if they provide immunity, the statement said.

This type of knowledge could help support the development of treatments and vaccines, it added.

Abbott has long been a global leader in infectious disease testing, including the development of the first HIV test.