<p>US-headquartered molecular diagnostics company Cepheid launched its first manufacturing unit in India at Mahadeva Kodigehalli on the city outskirts on Tuesday. </p>.<p>The 77,000-sq ft facility is expected to employ around 500 people and boost India's TB testing capabilities. </p>.<p>Inaugurating the facility, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar hoped that the unit would strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India TB-free by 2025. </p>.<p>Laurent Bellon, senior vice president (Operations), Cepheid USA, told <span class="italic"><em>DH</em></span> that the plant had the capability to manufacture various types of testing kits but the focus currently was on manufacturing TB-testing cartridges. "Our focus now is on enabling India's National TB Elimination Programme. This will help the government to enable all TB testing locally." </p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/iit-m-partners-with-gic-re-to-develop-urine-based-tb-diagnosis-1194029.html" target="_blank">IIT-M partners with GIC Re to develop urine based TB diagnosis</a></strong></p>.<p>The facility can manufacture 10 million testing cartridges per year. "The plant size is considering the demand from India as well as export to other countries with high TB burden," Bellon said. </p>.<p>The company's GeneXpert Systems, on which the cartridges are run, are already in use across India in both the public and private sectors. </p>
<p>US-headquartered molecular diagnostics company Cepheid launched its first manufacturing unit in India at Mahadeva Kodigehalli on the city outskirts on Tuesday. </p>.<p>The 77,000-sq ft facility is expected to employ around 500 people and boost India's TB testing capabilities. </p>.<p>Inaugurating the facility, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar hoped that the unit would strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India TB-free by 2025. </p>.<p>Laurent Bellon, senior vice president (Operations), Cepheid USA, told <span class="italic"><em>DH</em></span> that the plant had the capability to manufacture various types of testing kits but the focus currently was on manufacturing TB-testing cartridges. "Our focus now is on enabling India's National TB Elimination Programme. This will help the government to enable all TB testing locally." </p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/iit-m-partners-with-gic-re-to-develop-urine-based-tb-diagnosis-1194029.html" target="_blank">IIT-M partners with GIC Re to develop urine based TB diagnosis</a></strong></p>.<p>The facility can manufacture 10 million testing cartridges per year. "The plant size is considering the demand from India as well as export to other countries with high TB burden," Bellon said. </p>.<p>The company's GeneXpert Systems, on which the cartridges are run, are already in use across India in both the public and private sectors. </p>
