IIT-Delhi Develops Inexpensive Rapid COVID-19 Diagnosis Kit

On Friday, 25 June 2021, Union Education Minister Dhotre has launched an accurate and rapid COVID-19 diagnostic kit. IIT-Delhi has developed antigen testing and coronavirus diagnostic kits. The inexpensive kits will cost just INR 50. Hence, the public has praised the kits for their accessibility to low-income patients. Additionally, Minister Dhotre has stated, “I congratulate IIT Delhi for coming up with a very low-cost test kit which can reach villages and the remotest area.” He went on to thank the university for their efforts, saying, “All the IITs have worked hard to address the need during the pandemic.”

The IIT Delhi Centre for Biomedical Engineering featured the team who designed the kit, led by Professor Harpal Singh. IIT Delhi has now patented the kit. The institute has also created affordable, high-quality PPE.  The PPE products have been distributed throughout the country and exported internationally. These strides in innovation have made waves in the medical community. As Director Rao commented in a social media post, that IIT-Delhi is now “disrupting the rapid diagnostic market for COVID-19.”

IIT-Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao has stated that two major Indian supervisory boards have cleared the kit. Firstly, the ICMR, the Indian Council for Medical Research, and the DGCI (Drug Controller General of India). Both entities now possess licensing for the technology.

IIT-Delhi Progresses in COVID-19 Innovation

The onset of COVID-19 in India has presented a formidable number of challenges for the medical community. The cost of COVID-19 diagnosis was certainly a major obstacle during the first wave of the pandemic. In response, IIT-Delhi had developed the world’s most inexpensive COVID-19 diagnostic kit at INR 399 in July 2020. However, as costs were still high and the number of kits was low, most testing occurred in the urban sphere for wealthier people. Testing has to be as accessible as possible to prevent further infections due to exposure. Thus, the launch of a more affordable diagnostic kit carries with it hope for pastoral India.