Kolmar Korea said Tuesday that it has agreed to supply rapid Covid-19 test kits to Russia by signing a contract with EVA Medical, a local distributor. 

The test kit, “Covid-19 IgM/IgG Combo Test,” is an antibody diagnosis kit that works by distinguishing antibodies, IgM/IgG, caused by the Covid-19 infection. The test takes only 10 to 15 minutes to identify the condition by taking blood samples of the suspected patient.

The provision will start within this month, according to the agreement.
Kolmar Korea completed clinical trials and drug approval registration in Russia, a company official told Korea Biomedical Review. It also obtained exclusive distribution rights to deliver the kits for the next five years. 

Russia’s virus test kit’s market size is around 335 billion won ($300 million). The country meets 40 percent of the demand with home-made products and relies on imports from the U.S., Europe and Korea, for the remaining 60 percent. 

“Demand for Korean test kits is rising in Russia because of their high accuracy,” the Kolmar Korea official said. “We are looking for opportunities to diversify the company’s business lines on the occasion of the Covid-19 test kit supply to Russia.”