NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research cones out with a validated list of IgG ELISA kits that are used for sero-surveys for understanding the population exposed to COVID-19 including asymptomatic individuals. The IgG ELISA kits are the first indigenous antibody detection kits for coronavirus.
The ICMR (health research body) has approved three batches of ‘COVID Kavach ELISA IgG kits‘ developed by Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
It has also mentioned the batch number, stating “responsibility for batch to batch consistency lies with the manufacturer“.
The research body said that “Depending upon the level of sero prevalence of infection, matching public health interventions can be implemented for prevention and control of the disease”
The ELISA IgG shoudl be used in survey having high-risk or vulnerable populations like healthcare workers, frontline workers, individuals in containment zones, for the knowledge about who have been infected in the past and got recovered now.
Details of seven pharma companies have been provided by the ICMR to undertake the production of indigenous COVID Kavach ELISA IgG kits which will help in antibody detection for COVID-19.
ICMR said, “These test kits have the advantage of testing 90 samples in a single run of 2.5 hours so that healthcare professionals can proceed quickly with necessary next steps. The ELISA tests have been validated in the laboratory. However, the performance of the test may be subject to variation under field conditions.”
The IgG ELISA/CLIA tests are approved by USFDA and the same can only be used after marketing approval from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
