(Alliance News) - Novacyt SA on Monday said Public Health England has placed an initial order worth GBP1.0 million for the Covid-19 test manufactured by its Primerdesign unit.
Shares in the clinical diagnostic company were 14% higher in London on Monday at 128.65 pence each.
Last week, Novacyt said it was working with the US Food & Drug Administration to secure emergency use approval for the Covid-19 testing product. It had added that Public Health England was "very satisfied with the performance" of the product.
Novacyt launched a CE-Mark approved molecular test for the clinical detection of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in mid-February.
The clinical diagnostic company said the COVID-19 test is the first CE-Mark test for the 2019 strain of novel coronavirus and follows the company's rapid launch of its research-use-only coronavirus test on January 31.
"Orders are initially for eight hospitals to provide stocks in those locations for four weeks of planned testing," the company said Monday. Which makes it the largest single order received to date for the test.
As Friday last week, Primerdesign has sold and received orders for over GBP3.7 million of the CE-Mark Covid-19 test, it had said. This would normally represent about 8 months of sales for the company.
Chief Executive Graham Mullis said: "We welcome Public Health England's decision to use our Covid-19 test in the UK, and I am delighted to see that Novacyt will now be supporting one of its home markets during these challenging times. The number of countries Novacyt is now supplying with its Covid-19 test has reached over 60 and we expect this will continue to increase.
"The team at Novacyt and its key suppliers are working extremely hard to support clinicians around the world in the fight against this pandemic and, as a chief executive officer, I am immensely proud of everyone's commitment."
By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com
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