South Korea's leading molecular diagnostics firm Seegene Inc. said that it is expanding its business in Latin America in the new year with a strong focus on its multiplex assay product.

Seegene said it received an approval from Brazil's ANVISA, the National Health Surveillance Agency, in January for the use of its Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay, a syndromic test that can detect multiple target genes including COVID-19, influenza and common cold.

Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay is a real-time RT PCR assay that can simultaneously screen and differentiate 8 targets, including Flu A, Flu B, RSV A/B and three target genes of COVID-19 (S gene, RdRP gene and N gene) along with two internal control targets in a single tube of reagent.

The assay is known to accurately detect COVID-19 viruses, even with mutated strains, as it targets multiple coronavirus genes.

Accurately distinguishing COVID-19 patients from those with seasonal flu virus has become extremely important, especially at a time when the coronavirus gained extra strength, coupled with a more contagious mutant COVID-19 strain.

An official from Seegene said the multiplex assay will help the Southern Cone better prepare for the influenza season, which in Latin America usually begins in the second quarter. 

Seegene believes the official introduction of the COVID-19, influenza, common cold combo assay product in Latin America will definitely help drive up the sales revenue in that region.

The Korean firm saw its sales revenue in the region pop up by more than 40-fold in just a year from KRW 4 billion in 2019 to KRW 161 billion in 2020, largely attributed by the growth in demand of its COVID-19 diagnostic tests.