Firm to make Covid-19 test
SOME of the millions of antibody coronavirus tests will be made in South Wales.
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, which has a plant in Pencoed, is one of three companies which will be manufacturing the test for the UK.
SOME of the millions of coronavirus tests that will determine whether someone has previously had Covid-19 will be made in South Wales, it has been revealed.
An American firm, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, has been contracted to produce the tests after developing them themselves.
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (Ortho), which has a plant in Pencoed, Bridgend, is one of three companies which will be manufacturing the test for the UK.
The antibody test is a blood test that looks for antibodies in the blood to see whether a person has previously had the virus.
The company is one of a number to produce the antibody tests for the UK. It became involved after responding to a call to action to help with the coronavirus response from First Minister Mark Drakeford and Life Sciences Hub Wales.
The Welsh Government said Wales will decide how the test is “rolled out, prioritised and managed”. It is expected it will be available in care homes.
On Thursday a spokesman said: “An expert group is currently working on the antibody testing strategy for Wales and will make an announcement shortly.”
In addition to the antibody test, work is ongoing in Wales to develop another type of antibody test, which involves taking a pinprick of blood.
This can be tested with a device to give a result in minutes.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “The approval and production of the new antibody test is an important step forward in our efforts to stop the spread of the virus, protect the public and ease lockdown restrictions.
“This test will tell us if people have already had coronavirus. But it is important to say although the test can tell if someone has had the virus, it’s not certain as to how much immunity they’ll have to the virus.
“We are also looking to deliver another type of antibody test, which can give a result in minutes. Together with the test announced today, this will form an important part of our ‘test, trace, protect’ strategy to help Wales come out of lockdown.
“I will shortly be announcing how these antibody tests will fit into the strategy and when our critical workers and general public will be able to get access to them.”
Ortho has had a base in Wales for 40 years and employs more than 500 people at the Pencoed site, producing millions of tests each week for a range of disease states and medical conditions for global distribution.
Paul Hales, senior director of operations at Ortho, said: “We have built a deep manufacturing expertise here in Wales over many years enabling us to produce these important products.
“The team has been working day and night to reach a mass scale of production of our Covid-19 assays. At Ortho, we believe every test is a life and are proud to see these kits being used in Wales.”
Paul Hackworth, Ortho managing director for the UK, said: “We are delighted to be working with Public Health Wales and Welsh Government to play our part in the overall testing strategy for Wales.
“We were one of the first in vitro diagnostics providers to step up to this unique challenge and are proud that our Covid-19 antibody tests will provide a flexible, reliable solution for the Welsh Government to maximise the effectiveness of their approach.”
Cari-Anne Quinn, chief executive of Life Sciences Hub Wales, said: “Today’s news exemplifies Wales’ position at the forefront of the international life sciences sector and the critical role Welsh businesses are playing in efforts to combat Covid-19 here in Wales and across the globe.
“The company’s history and pedigree in infectious disease testing allowed us to quickly identify Ortho as a Wales-based company with proven capabilities that would place it at the international forefront of antibody testing.
“We are proud to facilitate a partnership that has enabled these vital tests to be qualified by Public Health Wales for the benefit of people in Wales and beyond.”
David Heyburn, head of operations for microbiology and health protection at Public Health Wales, said: “Antibody testing is an important part of our strategy to counter the spread of Covid-19 and to help us understand who has had the disease. Knowing that the production of the test will be local to us in Wales was of great importance to us as we determined which suppliers to rely on.”