The coronavirus detection kits developed by scientists from the University of the Philippines (UP) are now in stock, enough for around 6,000 tests, according to UP President Danilo Concepcion.
The SARS COV-2 detection kit being manufactured and stockpiled by Manila HealthTek, Inc. as GenAmplify COVID-19 detection kit will cost around P1,320 per test, in contrast to the foreign kit, which costs around P8,500 per test.
“Around 200 GenAmplify™ kits can be produced in a week, and enough kits are in stock now for around 6,000 tests, with more orders for around 20,000 tests already expected,” Concepcion said.
The detection kit was developed by UP Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Deputy Director Dr. Raul Destura and other scientists and researchers from the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and the PGC. It was funded by the Department of Science and Technology through its Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.
Destura said that countries all over the world have the “same starting point” and “same timeline” in developing specific diagnostic kits for COVID-19. This was after China made the genome sequencing of novel coronavirus publicly available last January 12.
“We just need two to three weeks of field validation for the testing kit to be released to a full commercial platform. We just need a little patience. Our main intention is public safety and service to the community and our country,” he explained. (Ellalyn de Vera-Ruiz)
