[Newsmaker] Celltrion to supply COVID-19 self-test kits to US

Celltrion USA, the US subsidiary of the Korean biotech firm, said Thursday it signed multiple deals to supply COVID-19 self-test kits worth 400 billion won ($330 million) in the US by the first quarter of this year.

The latest deals involve some 10 government agencies and companies, including the Defense Logistics Agency and the e-commerce giant Amazon.

Two kinds of test packs will be supplied: DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test and DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test, both developed in partnership with Korean test kit specialist Humasis. Each received fast-track approvals from the US Food and Drug Agency in April and October, respectively.

Celltrion said a recent study conducted by the US National Institutes of Health has confirmed the effectiveness of the two test kits in detecting the omicron variant. 

While securing a footing in the US with the latest deals, the firm added, it has also entered a new round of talks with several clients to supply more test kits in the second quarter.

“We‘re seeing a rise in demand for antigen tests in the US,” said a Celltrion official. “We will focus on scaling up our production to contribute to the fight against omicron and strengthen our brand in the market.”

By Ahn Ju-hee (dianahn@heraldcorp.com)