Syngene ties up with HiMedia Laboratories to manufacture ELISA test kits for COVID-19

Syngene International Ltd., an integrated research and development services company, has entered into collaboration with HiMedia Laboratories, a bioscience company with expertise in media manufacturing and diagnostics for over 45 years, to manufacture and distribute its ELISA kits.

HiMedia will manufacture the kits at its facility in Mumbai and distribute it across India. Syngene has indigenously developed an anti-COV-2 IgG ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) at its research facility in Bengaluru. This advanced highly reliable test identifies the presence of SARS-COV-2 antibodies in blood samples and confirms if a patient has been exposed to the coronavirus. It has a capacity to test samples together in a single run and generates results within 3 hours.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr Mahesh Bhalgat, Chief Operating Officer, Syngene International Ltd., said, “At a time when the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing at an alarming rate across the country, there is an urgent need to make available reliable testing kits using advanced technology to test patients and identify  positive cases. To fill this gap, Syngene, with its expertise across diverse scientific domains, has developed an ELISA kit that allows higher throughput and generates  faster results. We are happy to tie-up with HiMedia who will make the kits available at a large scale to significantly increase serological testing in India.”

Dr. Vishal G. Warke, Director R&D, Cell Culture and Immunology, HiMedia Laboratories added, “We are happy to partner with Syngene in manufacturing and distributing their ELISA kits. This partnership brings together our mutual expertise in research and manufacturing and will further strengthen our fight against the COVID19 pandemic.” As part of the collaboration, Syngene will initiate tech-transfer of the kits to HiMedia for developing the prototypes for submission to CDSCO for approval. HiMedia will launch the kits in two weeks after receiving the approval and market it under its brand name ELISafe 19.

About Syngene
Syngene International Ltd., is an innovation-focused global discovery, development and manufacturing organisation providing integrated scientific services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutrition, animal health,
consumer goods and specialty chemical industries around the world. Syngene’s clientele includes world leaders such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baxter, Amgen, GSK, Merck KGaA and Herbalife. Its innovative culture is driven by the passion of its 4240-strong team of scientists
who work with clients from around the world to solve their scientific problems, improve R&D productivity, speed up time to market and lower the cost of innovation. For more details, visit www.syngeneintl.com.

About HiMedia
HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. is a leading Bioscience Company of Indian origin, having expertise in innovation, and manufacturing of Microbiology, Cell Culture and Plant tissue Culture media, Molecular Biology, Diagnostics, Chemicals, Laboratory Equipments, and
Hydroponics Solutions. The principal mission behind the establishment of the organization, four decades ago, was to help Indian scientific fraternity by providing world class quality products at competitive prices. With presence in over 150 countries, HiMedia ranks amongst
top 3 Media Manufacturers in the world. Since Research and Development is the core foundation of HiMedia, the brand invests significant amount of its profits in R&D and is driven by a strong team of scientists and experts. Himedia’s state-of-the-art manufacturing units are
spread over 8 locations. Visit www.himedialabs.com for more details.