Ellume, the Brisbane-based biotech company with a facility in Richlands, has fulfilled its first shipment of COVID-19 home testing kits to the United States. The company aims to make 20 million testing kits for America, which has the highest number of cases in the world.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Steven Miles recently visited the Richland production laboratory, where more than 300 workers have been ramping the manufacturing process of 200,000 testing kits a day.
The government has helped fund Ellume under the Essential Goods and Supply Chain program, allowing the biotech firm to develop export quality testing kits and procure state-of-the-art equipment for its production line.
“The funds from the State Government will greatly assist in upscaling manufacturing to meet the growing demand for Ellume’s products, providing greater supply security,” Dr Sean Parsons, the company’s CEO and Founder said. “This is world-leading and life-saving diagnostic testing technology, created and manufactured right here in Queensland.”
In December, the diagnostic kit received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is the first of its kind to be granted the EUA in this pandemic.
“Ellume is another successful Queensland manufacturer rolling up its sleeves to fight the global pandemic and employing hundreds of Queenslanders to do so,” Mr Miles said. “We have the best manufacturers in Queensland, and we will always back them, as we continue our economic recovery and create jobs.”
After the U.S. deal, the company plans to expand its manufacture and distribution to Europe in late 2021 and has been exploring a partnership with another local company focused on medical diagnostic technology.