Chinese Company Accused of Selling Faulty COVID-19 Test Kits

By Barnaby Lofton, March 30, 2020

Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has recently been accused of selling defective COVID-19 test kits to multiple European countries.

Science Times reported that the test kits from Bioeasy, which were sold to the Czech Republic and Spain, were said to be inaccurate in determining a reliable diagnosis for possible COVID-19 patients.

In the Czech Republic, 80% of test kits were reported to be substandard by a regional hygienist; however, the deputy minister of health refuted the claim, according to China Daily. The test claims to produce results within 15 minutes. Health officials in Spain found the Chinese-produced COVID-19 nose swabs “had an accuracy rate of less than 30%,” as reported by SCMP. The country returned 9,000 kits because of unreliable results.

Last Friday, Bioeasy published a statement on their website that said the inaccurate readings were because doctors misused the test kits. The company maintained that its test kits have been certified in Europe, but acknowledged that some of the details for operating the test kits may not have been communicated in the early sales stage.

According to the company, Spanish health authorities will continue working with Bioeasy.

On Twitter, the Chinese Embassy of Spain clarified that Bioeasy has not yet received an official license from the National Medical Products Administration of China to sell their medical products, although the Bioeasy kits are certified by the European Union and can be sold in Spain.

The Chinese government as well as Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma (in cooperation with Alibaba’s charity foundation) have donated COVID-19 test kits and face masks to countries severely affected by the public health crisis. Donated supplies from the government and Alibaba have not included products from Bioeasy.

As of Monday, March 30, Spain has reported more than 80,000 cases, and is on pace to surpass China’s coronavirus case total before the end of the week. The Czech Republic has nearly 3,000 COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

[Cover image via Pixabay]