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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider DOST: Locally developed COVID-19 test kits ready this week

DOST: Locally developed COVID-19 test kits ready this week

Published Mar 30, 2020 12:00 am
By Dhel Nazario  The field validation of the locally developed COVID-19 test kits funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and made by scientists at the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) is expected to be finished by April 1, DOST's top official announced on Monday. Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (TOTO LOZANO/ Presidential Photo / MANILA BULLETIN) Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (TOTO LOZANO/ Presidential Photo / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) A Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) from the Food and Drug Administration Philippines (FDA) is expected to be issued by Friday, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said. "We have also informed the FDA that submission of requirements for CPR will be made on Wednesday, April 1 at the latest," de la Peña added. The secretary said in his Facebook page that a total of 120,000 test kits will be manufactured by The Manila HealthTek Inc. The company has also reported that the first batch of reagents arrived, which will enable them to start the manufacturing process. From April 4 to 25, he added that there will be a field implementation for the 26,000 testing kits funded under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) Project. The DOST will prioritize production of 26,000 test kits for field implementation and distribution to the Philippine General Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and Baguio General Hospital. The remaining 94,000 testing kits will be sold commercially by Manila HealthTek at around P1,300 per kit which is cheaper than the units currently being used in hospitals which cost about P8,000. The Manila HealthTek said they have enough orders from the private sector which are intended to be donated to the DOH and various hospitals. The SARS CoV-2 PCR Detection Kit technology was developed by local scientists led by Dr. Raul V. Destura of UP-NIH.#
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