IN BRIEF: Avacta's lateral flow test detects Covid Delta variant

Avacta Group PLC - developer of diagnostics and cancer therapies - Says a study has shown that its AffiDX antigen lateral flow test detects the Delta variant of Covid-19 in clinical samples. The study showed that AffiDX outperformed two lateral flow antigen tests that are commercially available in Europe, Avacta adds.

"In comparison with other lateral flow tests on the market, Avacta's rapid antigen test demonstrates better clinical performance," Chief Executive Alastair Smith comments.

"This is a variant of the virus that is spreading rapidly on a global scale and therefore the ability of the test to detect this variant is paramount to our commercial roll-out."

The Covid-19 Delta variant, first identified in India, has greater infectivity compared to other variants with figures from Public Health England last Monday showing that numbers of the variant in the UK rose 79% to a total of 76,000 in the preceding week.

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By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

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