ODX.L Share News (ODX)

(Sharecast News) - Medical diagnostics company Omega announced on Thursday that it has CE-marked Mologic's lateral flow antibody test for Covid-19, for sale under its 'Visitect' brand.

The AIM-traded firm described the Mologic lateral flow antibody test as a point-of-care test that differentiates itself by testing for three antibodies - IgA, IgG and IgM - picking up positive patients at an earlier stage than most other tests.

It said the test would be used in primary care settings, such as general practitioner (GP) surgeries and for other professional use, and had been subject to successful independent validation by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and St George's, University of London.

Mologic was currently applying for World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listing for the lateral flow antibody test, Omega added.

Omega said it would be the legal manufacturer of the test, and would be able to manufacture up to 100,000 tests per week, initially out of its Alva facility in Scotland, which was currently undergoing refurbishment to increase capacity as planned.

The company would commercialise the test as a Visitect-branded product, and expected to announce the product's full marketing launch later in the month.

"We are pleased to have reached this significant milestone of CE-marking Mologic's lateral flow antibody test as we continue to support efforts to combat the effects of Covid-19," said chief executive officer Colin King.

"This approval will allow us to commence in-country registrations and product evaluations.

"We also look forward to WHO emergency use approval in due course, which will open up opportunities for the test to access global tenders where this approval is required."

At 1135 BST, shares in Omega Diagnostics were down 1.63% at 57.3p.