Proud moment! World's most affordable COVID-19 diagnostic kit is here from IIT-Delhi - COROSURE

In a proud moment for India and IIT-Delhi, Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Wednesday e-launched the world’s most affordable RT-PCR based COVID-19 diagnostic kit - Corosure - developed by IIT Delhi and approved by the ICMR and DCGI.

Speaking on the occasion, Pokhriyal said that Corosure, COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit developed by Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is a step towards PM Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India. He said that the country requires cheap and reliable testing, which can help to control the pandemic. The Corosure Kit has been developed indigenously and is much cheaper than other kits. The HRD Minister said that our Prime Minister has always been encouraging the youth of the country to come forward and ensure a healthier India especially in the times of COVID 19 pandemic with their innovative research. The  kit has received ICMR approval with the highest score and DCGI approved with a very high sensitivity and specificity.

Lauding  the work done by the IIT Delhi researchers, Pokhriyal  said that this affordable detection kit will help the country amid the ongoing crisis. Pokhriyal informed that Corosure, the probe-free diagnostic kit has been manufactured by Delhi NCR-based Newtech Medical Devices.

Price?

Pokhriyal informed that the diagnostic kit developed by IIT Delhi, which will be now available for use by the authorised testing labs with this launch, will significantly bring down the cost of COVID-19 RT-PCR testing. The base price of the RT-PCR assay is Rs 399. Even after adding the RNA isolation and laboratory charges, the cost per test will be considerably cheaper compared to currently available kits in the market.  

The Minister further informed that IIT Delhi has given license to 10 companies to manufacture COVID-19 diagnostic kit using the technology developed by its researchers.