KRIVIDA Novus RT-PCR kit, developed by Chennai-based KRIYA Medical technologies in collaboration with ImmuGenix Bioscience, has received approval from ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). The kit detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus and also differentiates the Omicron variant from Delta and other variants. The test takes just about 45 minutes to detect the infection and determine the variant. 

The kit detects SARS-CoV-2 using five different gene targets and it has a variant specific S gene probe for the newly emerged Omicron. KRIVIDA Novus picks up all the sub-lineages of Omicron, such as, BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The test is most suitable for entry point screening at airports 

KRIVIDA Novus will be produced at KRIYA’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Oragadam in Chennai. The company currently has a manufacturing capacity of 5 million kits and plans to increase it to 10 million within a week depending on the demand. The test is priced competitively, and it will soon be commercially available across the country.