Wolves owners Fosun develop kit to detect coronavirus
Wolves owner Fosun has developed a testing kit for the deadly coronavirus.
Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, part of the Fosun group which is one of China's largest conglomerates, saw its shares make their biggest two-day gain in more than five months on the news
It is applying for National Medical Products Administration approval to provide the test equipment.
China’s health system is racing to treat patients and contain a virus that has infected more than 20,000 people and claimed 425 lives.
Health authorities have approved six types of test kits for the virus, but as the outbreak has spread some health care providers have said they face shortages of tests.
Guo Guangchang, the billionaire founder of Fosun, said that the company’s kit can quickly identify the virus in people even if they have not shown any symptoms.
He said the test is fast enough to allow one well-equipped hospital to process more than 1,000 samples a day, compared with the current 200.
He has appealed for help from around the globe to relieve China’s shortage of emergency supplies such as protective masks and decontamination suits.
Fosun has itself purchased 330,000 masks and 270,000 protective suits for use by front-line medical staff in China.
