Novacyt (AIM:NCYT) announced on Wednesday that its COVID-19 diagnostic test has been deemed eligible for procurement under the World Health Organisation’s (‘WHO’) emergency use listing process.
The process is a necessary procedure with the aim of expediting the availability of the group’s Primerdesign CE-marked test to people affected by the public health emergency.
Graham Mullis, CEO of Novacyt said WHO’s emergency use listing provides further validation and confidence to government agencies around the world in the effectiveness of the test.
The diagnostics specialist also announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) , GSK (LON:GSK) and the University of Cambridge in the UK Government's new five pillar plan as part of a national effort to increase COVID-19 testing.
Shares in Novacyt were trading 19.77% higher at 257.5p during Wednesday morning.
Novacyt will provide its test to generate results for a new testing laboratory facility at the University of Cambridge which has been set up to help overcome current supply shortages.
The collaboration extends the group’s existing work with a growing number of UK hospitals and the NHS and Public Health England which focuses on meeting testing requirements.
"Novacyt is committed to supporting national efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mullis.
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1.4 million people and killed over 81,865 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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