Cipla launches Covi-G — a new rapid antibody detection test for COVID-19 which will give you results in less than 10 minutes

• The company has signed a deal with the manufacturer of the kit – Belgium-based Multi G and will be responsible for distributing the kits.
• Cipla will distribute the kits across over 25 markets in Asia, Middle-East and North Africa, Latin America, EU, and Australia.
• The antibody test will also be able to detect whether a person had a suspected asymptomatic or mild infection in the past.

Pharmaceutical giant Cipla has launched a rapid antibody detection test for COVID-19, which will give results within ten minutes. The test kit will be sold under the brand name Covi-G.

The company has signed a deal with the manufacturer of the kit – Belgium-based Multi G and will be responsible for distributing the kits.

Cipla will distribute the kits across over 25 markets in Asia, Middle-East and North Africa, Latin America, EU, and Australia.

“It tests for both IgM and IgG antibodies, using a single-prick blood test using the test result indicator visual interpretation,” said the company.

The antibody test will also detect whether a person had a suspected asymptomatic or mild infection in the past, which will subsequently result in a higher number of eligible plasma donors.

Cipla had earlier launched the ELIFAST diagnostic kits in partnership with KARWA.

While the company is awaiting approval by ICH country regulators, Cipla said that Covi-G has already been commercialised in over 20 countries and its sensitivity and specificity exceeds 92%. This is important as in the past, the accuracy of rapid test kits for COVID-19 has often been questioned and has quite often required a second lab test for confirmation.

What is an antibody test?

An antibody test checks for the presence of antibodies in a person. When your body fights COVID-19, it builds antibodies against the virus. This test would determine whether the body has built immunity against the virus or whether a person was infected in the past.


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