FIELD validation for the much-awaited Philippine-made Covid-19 testing kits is ongoing and is expected to be done by Wednesday, April 1, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The DOST said that the issuance of the Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) from the Food and Drug Administration Philippines (FDA) is expected on Friday, April 3.
"We have informed the FDA that requirements for CPR Certification will be submitted on Wednesday, April 1 at the latest," the DOST said in a statement.
The Manila HealthTek Inc. reported that the first batch of reagents has arrived which will enable them to start the manufacturing process to create testing kits that can accommodate up to 120,000 tests.
A certain number of testing kits that can do up to 26,000 tests will be prioritized by the DOST for field implementation and distribution to the Philippine General Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and Baguio General Hospital.
From April 4 to 25, there will be a field implementation for the 26,000 tests funded under the DOST and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) Project.
The remaining testing kits good for around 94,000 tests will be sold commercially by Manila HealthTek at around P1,300 per kit which is cheaper than the units currently being used in hospitals which cost about P8,000.
The Manila HealthTek said they have enough orders from the private sector who intend to donate them in turn to the Department of Health (Philippines) and hospitals.