Boxes of the rapid test kits. Contributed photo
MANILA, Philipppines — The demand for Cellex test kits from private companies and government entities has currently overtaken supply, but LabX assured it has secured a steady stream of Cellex inventory beginning the end of May.
“Our supply of Cellex is completely sold out until May 23,” said Christine Cunanan, Managing Director of LabX’s RDT Division, which is overseeing Cellex sales in the Philippines.
“Many people understand the importance of using a reliable test kit that has passed the stringent standards of both the US FDA and the Philippine FDA, and been publicly endorsed by the US government.”
This development came after LabX Corp. has successfully closed deals to bring two of the world’s gold standard brands for COVID-19 testing to the Philippines.
The US FDA-approved rapid test kit Cellex and the China FDA-approved RT-PCR test kit brand BGI are both widely considered the best available coronavirus tests for their respective categories.
Dr. KC Halili, Medical Director for LabX, noted that Cellex has “an accuracy of 93.8 percent and a sensitivity of 96 percent,” qualifying it as the most excellent 15-minute test in the Philippines along with the distinction of being the first rapid test in the world to get authorization from both the US FDA and Philippine FDA.
Meanwhile, dominant Chinese brand BGI is one of the most reputable and sought after RT-PCR tests in the world.
The Department of Health (DOH) has repeatedly said that RT-PCR testing is the most accurate method to trace coronavirus from a patient. Not only has the DOH purchased test kits from BGI, the health agency recently asked the Philippine Air Force to pick up a plane load of BGI laboratory equipment in China. The shipment was successful, with BGI’s accuracy score currently at 100 percent.
Franco Mabanta, LabX’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said that the plan was always clear.
“The caveats of both testing systems have always been evident,” Mabanta said. “RT-PCR tests are comprehensively accurate, but much slower and costs anywhere between three to eight times the price. Rapid tests, on the other hand, are incredibly fast but can only detect the virus two days after the infection sets in. So we use both. Rapid antibody testing with Cellex kits to screen large groups of people everyday supported by RT-PCR testing with BGI kits for confirmatory purposes. That’s the strategy LabX designed and concretized at the outset. The data gathered here should help flatten the curve substantially.”
“It’s important to attack the problem with our eyes open,” added Dr. Halili. “As the ECQ is lifted, we’re seeing a great demand for high quality testing from business owners, employees and local government officials — many of which correctly understand that getting people tested more than once is crucial. Awareness is the first step in the call for action and we take pride in providing the complete testing system to aid the country moving forward.”
US President Donald Trump and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian have publicly endorsed Cellex and BGI respectively.