Bio Merieux India plans to introduce a new diagnostic test for detection of the HIV virus. The test, which will be able to detect the virus earlier than other tests currently available, will also give quicker results and be cheaper than the PCR tests.
The test can detect the presence of the virus after 11 days of the virus entering the body. It is based on the detection of the antigens, while other tests check for antibodies.
The company, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Bio Merieux, a French medical diagnostics company, plans to focus on the Indian market in a big way. "The company foresees a 20-25 per cent growth in the Indian market in the coming years," said Pascal Vincelot, managing director of Bio Merieux India.
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The company has introduced two new diagnostics machines in India this year. Next year, it will open a food testing department.
It also plans to start production of its equipment in India when it has a large enough market. "We have already submitted a proposal for a project worth around $1.2 million to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board," added Vincelot.
Bio Merieux specialises in infectious disease diagnostics and industrial microbiology control. With worldwide sales of over $568 million in 1999, it is the eighth largest biological diagnostics company in the world and an international leader in the field of microbiology with a 24 per cent share of the world market in this area.
The company, which started its India operations in 1998, has installed 100 machines in the country, including four in Assam.