News
2021.01.19
Hanmi Pharm announced on January 18 that it plans to release the Hanmi COVID-19 Quick Test, an antibody diagnostic kit that can deliver results in just 30 minutes, in Korea in early February.
The test kit, which has been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO), has sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 96%.
Like a nasal swab, the sample is dropped into the kit for a reaction to occur between the virus antigen, if present, and the antibodies inside the kit. The company explained that the method of confirming the results is similar to that of the pregnancy test kit.
HANMI COVID-19 Quick TEST is expected to be useful in early diagnosis for those suspected infections with respiratory symptoms as it is easy to use and quick to detect infection within 30 minutes.
The test kit is not available to the general public but only to medical professionals in accordance with the relevant laws. In the case of a positive result, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is performed as a confirmatory test by the health authorities.
A representative of Hanmi Pharm said, “The infected must be identified as quickly as possible using Hanmi COVID-19 Quick Test in order for us to overcome COVID-19 and return to normal life. [...] Hanmi Pharm will dedicate all its capabilities to surpassing the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Hanmi Pharm released Hanmi Cold-Mask Nasal Spray this past December, as part of the efforts to overcome COVID-19.
Source: Digital Times