Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), the developer of diagnostics and innovative cancer therapies based on its proprietary Affimer® and pre|CISION™ platforms is pleased to announce that shipment of its AffiDX® SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test has now commenced.
The AffiDX® SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test is a high performance, 20-minute antigen test using patient-friendly nasal swabbing that is CE marked for professional use in the UK and EU. The test has been shown by independent clinical evaluation to be 100% sensitive for patient samples with a PCR Ct value below 27 (high viral load), 98.0% sensitive across a much wider range of viral loads and with 99% specificity. The test has also been shown to detect all the major variants of the virus including the delta variant.
The Company has recently appointed Calibre Scientific, a global distributor of diagnostic and life science products, as the first distributor for the test in the UK and European Union, and is progressing multiple commercial opportunities with distributors and end users in Europe, UK, Asia and elsewhere.
Dr Alastair Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Avacta Group, commented:
“I am delighted that shipment of the AffiDX® SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test has commenced. The excellent clinical performance and ease of nasal sampling, coupled with the fact that the AffiDX® antigen test has been developed in the UK, and is based on UK technology and manufactured in the UK, are major points of differentiation.
“Manufacturing scale up continues to progress well and we remain focused on the challenge of being able to supply the clear demand in the market.
“We continue to see significant levels of commercial interest from around the world and are progressing a number of opportunities in a range of sectors. I look forward to updating the market on further developments.”