ICMR Approves First RT-PCR Kit To Detect Omicron Variant By Tata, Named ‘OmiSure’

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a new RT-PCR test kit developed by Tata Medical and Diagnostics called Omisure which will detect the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. Presently, the Omicron variant is being detected using test kits developed by US-based Thermo Fisher which uses S-Gene Target Failure (SGTF) technology, which is also used by OmiSure.

In its letter approving the kit, the ICMR stated: “The tests have been performed as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Responsibility for batch-to-batch consistency lies with the manufacturer.”

The government procures standard RT-PCR test kits for ₹20-30 whereas the Thermo Fisher SGTF kit costs ₹240 per unit.