Gyeongnam Pharmaceutical Confirms Effectiveness of COVID-19 Test Kits Against 'Omicron'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Kyungnam Pharmaceutical announced that it has confirmed the testing efficacy of the Kyungnam Pharmaceutical COVID-19 Test Kit for COVID-19 variant viruses, including the Omicron variant.

According to internal analysis results from Rapigen, a specialized in vitro diagnostic medical company that signed a production and supply contract for the Kyungnam Pharmaceutical COVID-19 Test Kit, the kit targets the Nucleocapsid protein, which has fewer mutations when detecting coronaviruses, and is not affected by the Omicron variant.

The Kyungnam Pharmaceutical COVID-19 Test Kit was the first COVID-19 personal diagnostic kit product in Korea to receive formal approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in July. It features a testing method that detects COVID-19 antigens using Rapigen’s unique 2nd generation Black Gold Particle technology, completing the test within 30 minutes.

Since producing the COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kit, Rapigen obtained export approval in March last year and has been supplying products to over 50 countries worldwide. As of last year, it achieved $100 million in exports and is currently collaborating with various international organizations.

A Kyungnam Pharmaceutical official stated, “Amid the spread of the COVID-19 variant Omicron, we hope the Kyungnam Pharmaceutical COVID-19 Test Kit can help personal prevention,” adding, “The product is designed for anyone to perform high-sensitivity testing easily and quickly, and it is available for purchase at pharmacies.”