COPAN Streamlines Production to Yield Maximum Output of Viral Transport Kits for Collection of Upper Respiratory Samples, Including COVID-19

Brescia, Italy February 28, 2020 – With the surging demand for sample collection kits for diagnosing COVID-19 and other upper respiratory tract pathogens, COPAN is concentrating its efforts on strategic items to maximize product output and supply during the ongoing surge in demand due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

While
COPAN has a variety of preassembled kits, during this high demand for viral sample
collection, COPAN encourages healthcare professionals to specify the purchase
of individual strategic components that would allow for fast on-site assembly of
collection kits that meet the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The
individually orderable components are UTM™ viral transport medium (item #330C),
nasopharyngeal flocked swabs (item #503CS01), and oropharyngeal flocked swabs
(item #519CS01). By ordering the items separately, healthcare professionals
have maximum flexibility to assemble their own kits to CDC or local guidelines
and needs. As market leaders in viral transport medium and sample collection, collaborating
in this way allows COPAN to serve the healthcare needs as product demand soars
due to the outbreak.

“We have a
production capacity of 1.2 million UTM and over 5 million flocked swab per week,”
Stefania Triva, COPAN Group’s CEO points out, “and according to our worldwide
demand, we are able to optimize our production lines. COPAN is making its best
effort to align its production with the volume of orders we are receiving from national
and international markets.”

COPAN’s full
staff is committed to making a company-wide effort to continue its
manufacturing activities to meet demand. “Without full commitment and
sacrifices from all of my staff we would not be able to meet this unexpected
demand,” says Stefania Triva. “COPAN’s more than 660 members of staff,
many of whom are women, without hesitation, once made aware of the Coronavirus
emergency, have stepped up from five working days and two shifts to seven
working days and night shifts also. At COPAN, we are a community that understands
the role we play in pre-analytics. It is certainly due to our people that COPAN
is able to be a reliable supplier even with a surge of demand like this,”
concluded Triva.

About Copan Group

With a
reputation for innovation, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and
transport systems in the world. COPAN’s collaborative approach to innovation in
pre-analytics has resulted in the original FLOQSwabs™, ESwab™, FecalSwab™ and
UTM™, as well as Full Laboratory Automation. COPAN’s collection and systems
have been proven to advance the quality of traditional and contemporary
microbiology assays. For more information, visit www.copangroup.com.