ISLAMABAD: The government has allowed a pharmaceutical company to import rapid coronavirus testing kits from Germany that can diagnose an individual suffering from COVID-19 within 20 minutes, a top official confirmed on Thursday.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has duly approved the registration of rapid testing kits and allowed their use as the second wave of the pandemic hits the country.
“These rapid kits will help increase our daily testing capacity, besides making the infection tests affordable to a large population,” Asim Rauf, chief executive officer at DRAP, told Arab News.
The decision is taken at a time the country is facing yet another surge in COVID-19 cases and has banned large public gatherings to stem the spread of the virus. Pakistan on Thursday recorded 3,306 new coronavirus infections and 40 related deaths with 45,999 tests in the last 24 hours.
“Some rapid testing kits are already available in the country, and more will be available in the next couple of weeks,” Rauf said, adding that the kit would give the result of a specimen in 20 minutes.
Molecular diagnostic tests are the most common form of testing in Pakistan and rely on samples collected from patients using nasal swabs. The samples are then analyzed through a method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which detects viral RNA. These tests can be highly accurate and detect the virus in 95 percent of cases. However, results can take up to 48 hours or more to be delivered, and one test can cost up to Rs10,000 or $60.
The new rapid test is likely to cost about Rs2,000, or $12, and deliver the result in 20 minutes. Many health experts, however, question the authenticity of the rapid antigen tests, though the DRAP CEO said the agency had given its approval for the import of these testing kits after carefully examining the relevant data.
Around the world, the coronavirus crisis has prompted countries to ease regulations for tech and pharmaceutical companies to register their products which can help fight the deadly virus. Many developed countries, such as Australia, Germany, Italy, China and the United States, have already been using the rapid testing kits to detect COVID-19 infections.
“The government is not spending a penny on the import of these kits since a private company is introducing them here to provide another option to patients who want to get themselves tested for the virus,” the drug regulatory authority’s chief added.
Regulatory body allows rapid COVID-19 testing kits to be imported from Germany
https://arab.news/5tp79
Regulatory body allows rapid COVID-19 testing kits to be imported from Germany
- The new diagnostic kits will cost about $12 per piece and give results in 20 minutes
- The drug regulatory authority says it allowed the import after carefully examining the relevant data
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
