(Alliance News) - Omega Diagnostics Group PLC and Abingdon Health PLC on Wednesday noted positive new data relating to the AbC-19 rapid antibody test as a companion to the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine.
Rapid test manufacturer and developer Abingdon, as well as medical diagnostics product distributor and manufacturer Omega, are partners in the UK Rapid Test Consortium, which put out a press release on the latest data.
An initial study, performed at the University of Birmingham, used AbC-19 to test individuals who were given a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
A total of 193 individuals who received the vaccine were tested for the presence of antibodies using the AbC-19 test and a subset of 65 patients were determined to have been previously infected, while 128 had no prior infection.
Those patients who had previously been infected with Covid-19 were found to have a stronger immune response to the first vaccine dose.
The UK Rapid Test Consortium commented that: "The initial data from the study being performed at the University of Birmingham supports the rationale that vaccination programmes could benefit from determining an individual's antibody status not only after vaccination but also prior to vaccination. Should these results continue to be seen in further studies, and with other vaccines, this demonstrates that the AbC-19 antibody test could potentially assist in patient stratification and resource management in overburdened international healthcare settings."
Shares in Omega were flat at 86.00 pence in London on Wednesday, while shares in Abingdon were up 1.1% at 91.00p.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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