Avacta begins shipments of 'AffiDX' rapid Covid-19 test

Avacta Group announced on Wednesday that shipment of its ‘AffiDX’ SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test for Covid-19 had now started.

The AIM-traded firm described the test as a “high-performance, 20-minute antigen test” using “patient-friendly” nasal swabbing, that was CE-marked for professional use in the UK and the European Union.

It said the test had been shown by independent clinical evaluation to be 100% sensitive for patient samples with a PCR Ct value below 27, or a high viral load, and 98% sensitive across a “much wider” range of viral loads, and with 99% specificity.

The test had also been shown to detect all major variants of the virus, including the prevalent ‘Delta’ variant.

Avacta said it had recently appointed Calibre Scientific, a global distributor of diagnostic and life science products, as the first distributor for the test in the UK and the EU, and was progressing multiple commercial opportunities with distributors and end users in Europe, the UK, Asia and elsewhere.

“I am delighted that shipment of the AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test has commenced,” said chief executive officer Dr Alastair Smith.

“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.”

Dr Smith said manufacturing scale-up was progressing well, as the company remained focussed 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.”

At 1032 BST, shares in Avacta Group were down 1.95% at 127.96p.