Domestic IVD industry gains momentum due to favourablegovt policies and schemes: Experts

Mumbai, 28June 2021:

Domestic IVD industry is gaining momentum due to favourable government policies and schemes such as production linked incentive (PLI) scheme and infrastructure push such as the development of medical device parks, according to experts.

As a result, a lot of manufacturers have increased production of reagents and other components which are extensively used in manufacturing IVD kits and IVD industry experts foresee achieving 100% self-reliance in the years to come. IVD manufacturers have been ensuring continued supply of Covid diagnostic testing kits to laboratories and hospitals across the country.

According to DrVeeraal Gandhi, chairman & managing director, Voxtur Bio Ltd, “Tax relief and government support to small and medium enterprises have helped IVD manufacturers scale up production capability and going forward, the increased production capacity will help the industry boost its export volumes. Although China dominates the global IVD supply chain, our homegrown manufacturing expertise will eventually help us strengthen our position in the global supply chain.

Mumbai based Voxtur Bio Ltd. is a FDA licensed, GMP, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 accredited company, possessing state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, producing clinical laboratory diagnostic testing kits.

Dr Gandhi further added, “Thanks to the increased use of RT-PCR test kits to detect Covid-19 infection, the application and acceptability of molecular diagnostics have grown significantly. Molecular diagnostics with its advantages such as sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, etc. will certainly change the perception towards diagnostic solutions. To cater to the increasing demand, IVD manufacturers have started scaling up production capacity of molecular diagnostic solutions. At Voxtur Bio, we have also ramped up our manufacturing output to support our healthcare ecosystem in the fight against the pandemic”.

He said that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have always been extremely supportive towards the IVD industry. Their policy measures and decision-making abilities are always in line with the evolving realities. The recent approval from ICMR for self-use Covid testing kit is one such revolutionary decision which will facilitate faster testing and diagnosis of Covid infection to break the chain. I am hopeful that ICMR will grant similar approval for self-testing kits for other diseases as well in future. This will drive IVD manufacturers to explore new domestic market opportunities.

Dr Gandhi joined the medical grade plastics industry more than two decades back. As the medical grade plastics industry is the raw material sourcing hub for healthcare, microbiology and in-vitro diagnostic industries, that stint at an early phase of his career offered him a holistic exposure to the manufacturing, distribution and consumption aspects of healthcare and diagnostic industries.

He realized that driving down the cost of the diagnostic solutions is the only way to percolate the benefits of diagnostics and healthcare delivery into the underprivileged sections of the society.

Voxtur Bio made a small yet assured beginning at our manufacturing facility located in Vasai on the outskirts of Mumbai, producing quality diagnostics solutions at an affordable price. After receiving all the required regulatory approvals in 2015, the company started exporting diagnostics solutions and subsequently expanded its reach in the domestic market as well. Since then, it has been consistently growing its market share banking on quality, affordability and timely delivery.  It is presently exporting our diagnostics solutions to more than 37 countries and supplying to a vast domestic market. Its annual manufacturing capacity of rapid test kits presently stands at approximately 120 million. As a matter of policy it offers custom original equipment manufacturing (OEM) services. 

Its extensive product portfolio includes rapid diagnostic testing solutions for communicable diseases such as HIV, HCV, HBsAg, Covid, etc. as well as non-communicable diseases such as a, etc. In addition to the same, it has rolled out blood grouping sera, latex reagents, ELISA testing kits, blood collection tubes and a wide range of laboratory plastic consumables from its DSIR approved lab. It will soon be launching point-of-care testing (POCT) solutions and hematology analyzers.

The company aims to become one of the largest IVD manufacturers in the country in terms of daily production output. It also aspires to become one of the largest OEM manufacturers in the IVD segment. The IVD sector in the country is growing rapidly as health consciousness and demand for point-of-care testing are increasing. To capitalize on the growth spectrum, the company plans to venture into new IVD categories as well. Pharma News