PlantForm applies for Health Canada approval to bring Viologix @Sight rapid COVID-19 antigen test to Canada
PlantForm exploring partnerships with key Canadian distributors for low-cost, EU-approved test that provides results in 15 minutes
GUELPH, Ont., March 15, 2021 – PlantForm Corporation, a pioneering leader in plant-based antibody drug manufacturing technology, today announced the submission of the Viologix @Sight COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit to Health Canada for approval and use in Canada.
The submission to Health Canada’s expedited review process follows an exclusive agreement signed March 1 between PlantForm and Viologix that grants the Guelph, Ontario-based biotech company exclusive rights to supply the low-cost test kits to the Canadian market.
The @Sight COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit quickly identifies potentially contagious individuals to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at work, schools, conferences, airports and other settings where large numbers of people gather. The simple, easy to use nasal swab test can be administered in virtually any setting by a medical professional with accurate results available in 15 minutes.
“This cost-effective rapid antigen test will be an important tool to protect Canadians and instill confidence as the economy and society reopens,” said Dr. Don Stewart, PlantForm’s President and CEO. “We are hoping that Health Canada’s expedited review process will enable us to make @Sight kits available to the market as soon as possible to help people get back to work, school, health-care treatments, sports, recreational activities, and life in general.”
Antigen testing is one of the emerging technologies being used around the world to determine if a person is infected with the COVID-19 virus. It works by detecting the specific proteins associated with the virus that provoke the body’s immune response to infection. The @Sight COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit provides a fast, inexpensive point-of-care option that delivers high sensitivity (95.6%) and specificity (99.0%), and requires no special instrumentation.
PlantForm’s strategy is to partner with key Canadian distributors to target niche markets in the public and private sectors. The commercial agreement with Viologix also includes future COVID-related programs. These may include a self-administered antigen test for COVID-19, an antibody test for COVID-19 and a test that differentiates between COVID-19 variants and other coronavirus infections, said Stewart.
About PlantForm Corporation (www.plantformcorp.com)
PlantForm Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the rapid development and production of specialty antibody and protein drugs using the company’s proprietary vivoXPRESS® platform. The plant-based vivoXPRESS system makes it easier, faster and less expensive to produce approved biologic drugs for approved and novel indications. PlantForm has an expanding portfolio of patents in seven families to protect both the core platform technology and products in development.
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