PHASE Scientific International LTD (PHASE Scientific), today announced that its INDICAID™ COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (INDICAID™) has received authorisation from the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore, which can make it available for use by individual citizens in the city as a self-testing tool for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

Dr Ricky Chiu Yin-to, Founder and CEO of PHASE Scientific, welcomes the authorisation of INDICAID™ for use in Singapore. "The COVID-pandemic has entered into another critical phase with the emergence of the Omicron variant and a new wave of infections. The faster one can know if he or she is COVID-19 infected, the sooner he or she can isolate immediately and get appropriate care."

"The Singapore Government has been encouraging regular self-testing for all, including fully vaccinated individuals. I strongly support this arrangement as it is a matter of public responsibility. Antigen rapid test is convenient to use and can provide fast results. It is the best option for large-scale screening and is an effective way to help limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2," says Dr Chiu.

INDICAID™ is a lateral flow immunoassay designed for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens in direct nasal swab samples. It has been validated in the world's largest clinical trial for a product of its kind with over 22,000 samples from the community in Hong Kong that were asymptomatic. The results demonstrated that INDICAID™ had excellent sensitivity and specificity and was a high-performing product for fast and effective SARS-CoV-2 screening.

INDICAID™ is developed in Hong Kong and is the first antigen rapid test product in the Greater China region to have obtained the US Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization. It is easy-to-use with no special equipment or facilities needed and the result is available within as fast as 20 minutes. The product is used globally for regular SARS-CoV-2 screening to meet various emergency testing requirements. To date, sales have been made to 30 countries with over 20 million kits sold.