Celltrion said it has increased the supply of Covid-19 antigen test kits for the US market.

The company said that the increase in shipments was due to the recent U.S. Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) allowing the public to use the device and the addition of Covid-19 testing in the context of social distancing and relaxation.

Celltrion said in a public document on Friday that the number of Covid-19 test kits under the contract signed with its subsidiary Celltrion USA has increased and the contract termination date has changed.

According to the latest changes, the advance payment has increased from 167.3 billion won (141.4 million U.S. dollars) to 200.4 billion won. This means that the supply of home test kits has increased by approximately 33 billion won.

The contract termination date will also be extended by one month from December 31, 2021 to January 31, 2022.

The expanded supply of Celltrion diagnostic equipment must be affected by the increase in Covid-19 home testing in the United States due to the relaxation of social distancing rules.

In October, the FDA approved the EUA for the Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test (a rapid antigen self-test kit).

In early April, Celltrion obtained EUA to provide rapid antigen detection kits for American medical professionals and well-trained operators

Celltrion and Humasis have jointly developed the DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test, which can be used by people 14 years of age or older without a doctor's prescription. It can be purchased online and offline.

When Celltrion received the EUA for the diagnostic kit, the company predicted that due to the relaxation of quarantine regulations, the demand for Covid-19 testing in the United States will rise.

In addition, Celltrion said in September that it had signed an agreement with the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to provide Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag rapid test products worth 738.2 billion won.

South Korean diagnostic equipment manufacturers predict that with the "coexistence with Covid-19" policy, sales of test kits will increase because people must frequently check for breakthrough Covid-19 infections. Testing before and after the diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19 infection is essential.

An official from a diagnostic kit manufacturer said: "With the policy of'coexistence with Covid-19', the demand for diagnostic tests will further increase." "We expect Covid-19 treatment methods and test kits to grow across the board."