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Link originally posted by Spike66. Thanks mate.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/articles/vital-lessons-for-the-diagnostics-industry-from-covid-19-338075
Vital Lessons for the Diagnostics Industry From COVID-19
ARTICLE Aug 10, 2020 | By Emmanuel Abate, Cytiva
This section is the best bit:
"Partnership for assay development
The pandemic triggered a massive response from the diagnostic industry, where both established players and newcomers focussed their development efforts on both Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based and lateral flow (also known as rapid testing) for COVID-19. Both types of diagnostic assay are complicated to develop and draw upon expertise in diverse areas such as material science, biochemistry, and virology, as well as manufacturing for scale-up. Optimizing assays for high sensitivity to detect the virus is a challenge and the accuracy of initial COVID-19 tests varied significantly.
The inconsistency in testing diagnostic performance highlighted the need for close partnership between diagnostic developers and component and material providers. Collaboration, in a spirit of co-design, would allow time to be taken to test component interactions thus reducing the risk of suboptimal component choice or scale up challenges. In the lateral flow space, that would mean that the provider of filtration materials, such as pads and nitrocellulose membranes, would work together with the assay developer. Together they could select and purify the relevant markers before selecting the membrane for optimal binding and flow...
...COVID-19 has taught me a lot: how the diagnostics industry needs to prepare for future pandemic challenges, but also what can be improved across the sector more generally. I believe vendors need to partner with developers to offer their manufacturing and design expertise to advance and accelerate the industry. In the hunt for a high-quality diagnostic, no one can do it alone".
My view on the article is that there was a time before Avacta's affimers and a time after. That it is possible together with a diagnostics partner to improve great the flow tests and that this was achieved. "Together they could select and purify the relevant markers before selecting the membrane for optimal binding and flow", which they did!
Our test looks good.
ST
It was an edit by the original authors, same youtube channel and the original full version still exists
No conspiracy, if it wasn’t original content it’ll have been a copyright strike
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2814000
Interesting that the video link I posted on Saturday has been deemed unsuitable by Youtube
It was a 5 minute summary of the full 1 hour presentation by Dr Mina. The original full length presentation is still there . I'm wondering if one of the PCR manufacturers has convinced youtube that some content was presented out of context. What do you think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZWuyvBAWWQ
Wishyeyedboretum...posters oohaven this BbB have said that latestvrecycling technologies/energy companies could recycle the plastic from the LFT though for the planet a lot will go to waste tips. So you have a valid point.
From the webinar with Cytiva, Avacta and Sona raw materials to actually make millions of tests was an issue.
Rapid tests are needed as Govts cannot affird another lockdown. There is no spare cash!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/09/we-cant-ease-lockdown-any-more-expert-warns-as-testing-calls-grow
Test, test, test is the drum beat mantra to get us out of this mess!
Business is business, if you want the product you pay for it. I think alot of businesses have profited from this pandemic, didnt see the supermarkets given away things at cost price!
I reckon it means COGS. I also think that’s what Mina is referring to, I can’t see any way you’d get to a retail price of $2.
What's the definition of cost? Unit Cost to manufacture? Or cost to manufacture plus the cost to develop? Cost to run the company during that period?
Lots of comments about pricing, and it has to be pointed out that DNANudge are selling their product at cost to the NHS - and probably a big reason it was adopted by HMG.
Link below (thanks to whoever posted this earlier) - listen from around 6m 50s mark
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2020-08-07/dnanudge-founder-on-device-that-finds-covid-in-90-minutes
Now appreciate Avacta are a commercial enterprise but our test would gain traction quicker, and you could say it's the right thing morally, that we also sell our product at cost price. It would no doubt be better politically for the government that no company is seen to be profiteering off this pandemic. This is exactly why AstraZeneca are offering their vaccine at cost too, and the hundreds of millions of doses they have got orders for.
It would suck for shareholders initially, but it will only shine the spotlight more on the company and raise its profile which surely bodes well long term.
Milkmonsta - in the US the war powers act would enable governments to do that. I think don't know, not a lawyer
We should not forget the mass spectrometry Bams test revenue as well.
There are just over 1200 hospitals in the uk. Imagining that most would have one machine, and taking say only 200 of them churning 1,000 tests a day, that would be 200,000 people being tested a day in hospitals drive through arrangement.
Say Adeptrix and Avacta charge £2 per test, that would be £1,400,000 a week or £5,600,000 a month. That's just from hospital track and trace settings.
Integumen's trials should also bear fruit soon and the project expanded nationwide and going global.
The best thing I find is that we should have MADE IN THE UK labelled on it, and not some cheap made in china crap. I am not buying anything made in china and believe me, it almost impossible.
ST
Given the scale of the current situation which globally is now much worse than feared and the need for mass POC testing, there is less doubt in my mind than ever for a massive ramp up of production of our test to ensure the safe working of our population and that those who test positive can be isolated or given the right treatments. The numbers of tests required will be in the hundreds of millions per month. As soon as our test is in manufacturing and validated the need for more partnerships is going to be huge to match the potential demand.
The other key Developement which Avacta need is the acceleration of the virus blocking technology. It is one thing to detect and isolate individuals but the need to block the virus and treat patients is going to be key to getting our planet back to safety.
The company remains best places to be a key solution to multiple aspects of helping remove the risk of Covid19.
The next huge project will be the targeted chemotherapy which given the effects on people’s treatment programs for cancer through the last 6 months is going to be even more important.
Bring this together and you have a hugely valuable business.
Cheers Rich
Interesting discussion re scaling up maufacturing etc.
I was mulling over the other day wether Awacta might somehow be able to licence manufacturing rights to governments direct.
Eg. USA buys rights to manufacture X amount per month etc. Then they just get on with it. Find/procure their own manufacturers/distributors etc. Or could we somehow lose control of quality this way.
This could be a way of securing fast mass orders and revenue without the pressure of having to deliver the final product to the customer. Worldwide governments would'nt have to wait in a frustrating queue either whilst we put enough manufacturing scale in place.
Dumb idea or one that has some traction?
PL75, - that's where I'm coming from.
IF the Pandemic accelerates in the way described, then the FDA etc already have sufficient information about the Specificity / sensitivity to approve in a situation of dire need. (Which it could be argued has already occurred in India / Brazil).
"If we end up with every LFD manufacturer on the planet wanting to churn these out, even if for only a £1 net, I’d take it."
This has more chance of happening than is currently realised I believe, so lets get that manual interpreted soonest.
Completely agree and I hope Sir Al’s ambitions aren’t too small, but it’s currently a balancing act until you have approvals and orders. If we end up with every LFD manufacturer on the planet wanting to churn these out, even if for only a £1 net, I’d take it.
Agree with OneKnows, no one helped AVCT to get test, cost of designing is expensive.
My view is that until the market is saturated then AVCT should charge as much as they can.
If tests are £3 and £1 profit is made, then selling for £5 means £3 profit, so only have to sell a third as many to achieve the same profit.
All depends on supply and demand and we all know demand is the controlling factor at the moment.
Agree with your PoV PL75, but I'm starting to think that the global situation is getting worse, and it is getting worse faster as each week passes.
Avacta's spit on a stick is the only product that gives an accurate result , ( if the FDA's new regulation is a yardstick), in 10 minutes, on the spot and without a sample processing instrument.
There are others, but currently it is looking like Avacta's product will be first to market, and there will be large scale calls to clone this for global production.
I'm saying that our plans for manufacture are running the risk of being overtaken by the scale of the pandemic.
A tiny fraction will be contaminated with covid, and that will go inert after a period of time, as will most things, no worse than a tissue. But that will be a lot of plastic...
Here's a question for you all.
If the saliva test turns out to be gold standard and Yellow Jersey PR don't do a great job in getting the message out there, would it be distasteful for Medusa19 to advertise the product for general sale to the public on national tv? Would that be a finger down the back of the throat scenario or a masterstroke?
If this happens then I want Lily James to spit on the stick in the advert - seductively.
B2, they will be, I think working with BBI is a great idea, a UK company to get everything sorted for approvals and issues ironed out and as you’ve said the onboarding of the other manufacturing partners will be smoother. Can’t remember which of the interviews, but he described talking to manufacturers- plural - and said ‘they’re up for it’. He knows who they are, what they’re capable of and as soon as we’re ready I’m sure capacity will be increasing quickly.
Good idea - whre do I buy their shares...
Perhaps that's one of the hurdles Avacta will need to cross before selling to public- maybe even the biggest, and will explain why no antibody test which have been around for months and quite simple in design have been certified for home use. Pregnancy tests can be chucked in the bin, but throwing away known infected clinical waste in household waste or recycling wouldn't be allowed, hence all swabs and tests at the moment done in a clinical setting where disposal can be taken care of. Maybe some sort of disposal waste management partner like stericycle, charge extra £5 for a test, get that refunded when test strip is sent back securely by scanning packaging.
Hopefully there will. Same is true of the billions of pieces of PPE, the majority of it is disposable
I don't see how '100s of millions per month' are doable without manufacturing and distribution licences.
If the LFT liberates populations and businesses in the way we expect, Trump will be trying to buy Avacta for USA for heaven sakes, like he did with a German company's vaccine in Spring this year.
There will be plenty of call for humanities sake from people like WHO to distribute to the ends of the earth, whilst the death count accelerates unless governments introduce local or national lockdowns.
These licenses need setting up now so they can be operational 8 - 12 weeks away.
Avacta and Cytiva are setting up BBI, but I hope they are developing a manual of how to do this for many other manufacturers, because I'm sure they will be requested to to set up more manufacturers than currently planned as the pandemic progresses.