German Company Pharmact AG Develops a Point-of-Care Rapid Test for the Detection of the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

The fear of the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is currently spreading throughout Germany and the world. Until now, anyone who fears being exposed has had to have a "polymerase chain reaction" (PCR) laboratory blood test. These tests are in short supply, complicated, invasive, expensive, and time-consuming, sometimes taking several hours or longer to produce a result.

Pharmact AG, a company specializing in the production of rapid diagnostic tests, has now developed the CoV-2 Rapid Test, a simple, easy, point-of-care rapid test for detecting Coronavirus exposure. With only two drops of blood from the fingertip, the test can determine in 20 minutes the presence of immunoglobulins IgM and IgG, which are found in the blood of people who have been exposed. The rapid test allows a quick, reliable diagnosis without the need for a laboratory or a lot of unnecessary time or equipment.

Pharmact AG has completed clinical evaluation and performance review of the test with excellent results. The CoV-2 rapid test cross-matched with the PCR test out of 126 cases, showed 100% agreement in detecting non-affected individuals. This speaks for the excellent ability of the rapid test to differentiate between infections with other, more frequently occurring coronavirus subtypes. The CoV-2 Rapid Test is CE marked and offers maximum safety with its unprecedented performance data. Also, the test has an international pharmacy number and can also be ordered at the pharmacy. "Since the launch of our CoV-2 Rapid Test, Pharmact has received profuse interest in Germany and throughout Europe." CEO Eric Schaber said in a statement. "We are confident that our point-of-care tests will be critical to help tackle what could be a global pandemic."

The CoV-2 Rapid Test shows whether or not infection with SARS-CoV-2 is present in three easy steps:

1. Healthcare professionals take two drops of blood from a patient's fingertip and place them onto the application field of a test cassette, followed by two drops of buffer solution.

2. After about 30 seconds, a red-pink color front forms and moves across the test strip contained in the cassette, over a control line (C) and two test lines (IgM and IgG).

3. After 20 minutes, the result is available. If only the control line (c) is discolored, the patient is not infected with Coronavirus. Discoloration of one or both test lines indicates infection. A positive IgM value indicates an infection in the early phase of the disease (4 to 10 days), and a positive IgG value indicates a later phase (from 11 - 24 days).