Two Domestic Firms Begin Indigenous Production Of Covid-19 Testing Swabs Which Cost A Tenth Of Imported Ones

In a big boost for India's fight against COVID-19, two Indian manufacturers have started to manufacture low-cost indigenous swabs used in the testing of samples, reports Times of India.

The swabs which are being developed by firm called Tulips and a Mumbai based MSME firm named Adi Enterprises, cost less than a tenth of the imported swabs which have been used in testing activity in India so far.

While imported swabs from US and China cost between Rs 20 or Rs 30 a piece, the swabs developed by domestic players cost between Rs 1.4 to Rs 3.5 a piece. Thus, the development is likely to significantly bring down the cost of COVID-19 testing activity.

The manufacturing of the swabs by the two domestic firms began early this month after they received the nod from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pune based National Institute of Virology.

It should be noted that since 5 May, Tulips alone has successfully delivered more than 3.6 million swabs. The Government had first reached out to the company in the second week of April asking if it could develop indigenous swabs.

Following the reach out, within 10 days, the company had converted a part of its 20-million cotton earbud capacity unit in Uttar Pradesh (UP)'s Ghaziabad to begin production. Similarly, Mumbai based Adi Enterprises had also begun its production of indigenous swabs on 6 May.