Düsseldorf, December 9, 2020 – CareStart™ COVID-19 Antigen test kit developed by Access Bio, Inc., using Asahi Kasei“s NanoAct™ cellulose nanobeads, received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and its sale in the U.S. has begun.

NanoAct™ colored cellulose nanobeads were developed by Asahi Kasei by utilizing its core technology of cellulose processing. They are currently used as labels for lateral flow immunochromatographic assays, mainly for influenza.
NanoAct™ was adopted by Access Bio, Inc. for use in CareStart™ COVID-19 Ag as it is available in a wide range of colors and enables better visibility of test lines, which improves usability.

The continuing spread of COVID-19 has raised the importance of rapid screening. Demand for rapid test kits is rising because unlike polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, they require no special equipment. Access Bio, Inc., the world“s leading manufacturer of rapid test kits for malaria, developed CareStart™ COVID-19 Ag to rapidly detect antigens of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. Clinical evaluations indicate that CareStart™ COVID-19 Ag provides a sensitivity of 88.4% and specificity of 100%, which is comparable to reverse transcription (RT)-PCR testing. Furthermore, CareStart™ COVID-19 Ag provides results in 10 minutes while PCR generally takes 1 or 2 days. In addition, the availability of NanoAct™ in multi-color variation enables different colors to be shown, such as blue for the test line (T) and red for the control line (C), which allows easier judgment as a user-friendly test kit.

CareStart™ COVID-19 Ag has also obtained CE Mark certification, and it is scheduled to be launched in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

In addition to various diagnostic test kits for COVID-19 and influenza, NanoAct™ is also expected to be used in multi-testing kits that enable simultaneous testing for several infectious diseases. Such kits are increasingly being developed by many diagnostic kit manufacturers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Asahi Kasei will continue to leverage NanoAct™ technology to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

About the Asahi Kasei Corporation
The Asahi Kasei Corporation is a globally active diversified technology company with operations in the Material, Homes, and Health Care business. The Material division encompasses fibers & textiles, petrochemicals, performance polymers, performance materials, consumables, battery separators, and electronic devices. The Homes division provides housing and construction materials to the Japanese market. The Health Care division includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and acute critical care devices and systems. With more than 40,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries and achieved sales of 17.6 billion euros (2,151.6 billion yen) in the fiscal year 2019 (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020). Asahi Kasei is Japan“s largest polyamide supplier and is one of only four fully integrated polyamide manufacturers worldwide – able to produce PA 6.6 completely from monomer to compound.

Asahi Kasei is „Creating for Tomorrow“ with all operations sharing a common mission of contributing to life and living for people around the world. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com and www.asahi-kasei.eu

Company Contact Europe:
Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH
Sebastian Schmidt
Fringsstrasse 17, 40221 Düsseldorf
Tel: +49 (0) 211-3399-2058
Mail: sebastian.schmidt@asahi-kasei.eu

Press Contact
financial relations GmbH
Henning Küll
Louisenstraße 97, 61348 Bad Homburg
Tel: +49 (0) 6172/ 27159 – 12

Asahi Kasei Corporation is a globally active diversified technology company with operations in the Material, Homes, and Health Care business. The Material division encompasses fibers & textiles, petrochemicals, performance polymers, performance materials, consumables, battery separators, and electronic devices. The Homes division provides housing and construction materials to the Japanese market. The Health Care division includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and acute critical care devices and systems. With approximately 40,689 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries and achieved sales of 17.6 billion euros (2,151.6 billion yen) in the fiscal year 2019 (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020).

Asahi Kasei is „Creating for Tomorrow“ with all operations sharing a common mission of contributing to life and living for people around the world. For more information, visit:
www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/ and www.asahi-kasei.eu

Company-Contact
Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH
Sebastian Schmidt
Fringsstraße 17
40221 Düsseldorf
Phone: +49 (0)211 3399-2058
E-Mail: Sebastian.Schmidt@asahi-kasei.eu
Url: https://www.asahi-kasei.eu/

Press
financial relations GmbH
Henning Küll
Louisenstraße 97
61348 Bad Homburg
Phone: +49 (0) 6172 27159 12
E-Mail: h.kuell@financial-relations.de
Url: http://www.financial-relations.de

Bildquelle: @Access Bio