The drug industry cannot provide enough diagnostic kits for the novel coronavirus to meet the World Health Organisation’s recommendation for broad testing efforts.
A leading pharmaceutical executive says on Thursday.
“Whilst the industry has been ramping up production, and as more testing capacities are provided, still the demand is by far outstripping the supply,’’ Roche chief executive Severin Schwann said at a briefing of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).
Testing should, therefore, be focused on high-risk patients and those who show symptoms of the Covid-19 viral disease, he said.
“Broad-based testing at this time is simply not feasible,’’ Schwann added.
