Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. will cooperate to increase the production of an antigen test kit that can detect coronavirus infections quickly, aiming to double the output from the current 200,000 kits per week, according to sources.
The companies will work with test kit producer Fujirebio Inc. to strengthen the domestic inspection system in preparation for a possible second wave of infections, they said. Hitachi and Toshiba are to sign a memorandum over the contract with Fujirebio.
With Hitachi's support, a new production line will be set up at a Toshiba affiliate's plant in Hokkaido, where Toshiba employees will produce the kit, starting in December.
In May, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry approved Fujirebio's testing kit as the only one in the nation to be covered by public medical insurance.
There is no supply shortage currently, as infections have slowed down for now. However, Hitachi and Toshiba, which have accumulated extensive know-how as major electronics manufacturers, decided to provide cooperation to Fujirebio in preparation for another outbreak.
The use of antigen diagnostic tests for people returning from overseas or emergency patients brought to hospitals is expected to fortify infection-containment measures. Although antigen testing is less accurate than PCR testing, the kits are envisaged as a supplement to PCR testing.
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