Qiagen in talks with govt to sell H1N1 test kits

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New Delhi: Dutch biotech company Qiagen NV, the largest global player in sample and assay technologies, is in initial talks with the Indian government to sell its H1N1 detection kits.

The company, which has launched the kit in September, claims that the testing device provides highly accurate results in around 40 minutes. This is unlike many current molecular solutions and most antigen-based H1N1 tests, which could consume up to several hours or even days to produce results. In some other cases, experts say that rapid protein-based tests are found to have a low sensitivity in detecting the virus.

Thomas Schweins, vice-president, marketing & strategy, Qiagen, confirmed the same to FE. “Yes, we are in initial discussion with the Indian government,” Schweins told FE. He added that the said kit of Qiagen is much more than just a test kit and does much more than testing whether a particular case is positive or negative for the virus.

The company executives claim that the kit can also detect infections with other known Influenza A and B strains likely to emerge and disseminate during the flu season. The rapid turnaround time of the company’s new test can lead to faster reporting of results, which play a key factor in monitoring and controlling outbreaks. While the company is learnt to be in talks with several other governments across the globe to make available its product, the government of Saudi Arabia is reported to have already procured the same from Qiagen. The government is reported to be evaluating the possibility of implementing the screening solution in time to help contain the spread of the virus during the Mekka pilgrimage.

The company is also learnt to be in advanced talks with private labs in the country which have got permission to test the H1N1 cases. However, the test kit is available in the United States for research use only. It has not been yet got an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The company, which reported revenues of $893 million in 2008 and has spent about $2 billion on acquisitions since 2004, is setting up its office in Delhi, its first one in India, within a week.