Mico BioMed Obtains Export Approval for Diagnostic Kit Detecting 'Stealth Omicron'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Mico BioMed, a manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic medical devices, announced on the 4th that it has received export approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its COVID-19 variant detection kits (Veri-Q COVID-19 Variant Detection Kit I, II) capable of detecting variants up to Stealth Omicron.

Recently, the detection rate of Stealth Omicron in South Korea has reached 10%, emerging as a major variable in quarantine efforts. Stealth Omicron (BA.2), a subvariant of the Omicron variant (BA.1), is known to have higher transmissibility than the original Omicron, raising concerns that the scale of the outbreak may increase further.

Mico BioMed developed the kit by analyzing and selecting the specific mutation sites of Stealth Omicron to enable targeted detection. The diagnostic kit amplifies the S gene that produces the spike protein of the coronavirus and detects the presence of more than 10 mutations within it. It can specifically detect a total of 10 COVID-19 variants (including Delta, Omicron, Stealth, etc.) and 13 mutation sites.

Mico BioMed has been exporting the kit to Brazil for research purposes since the end of last year. A company official stated, “We are accurately analyzing the frequency of mutations and monitoring them promptly to respond immediately,” adding that this approval will expand export opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.