Company partners with Rhinostics and P&G subsidiary iMFLUX to help increase access to advanced testing tools for COVID-19, influenza and other diseases
ASHEBORO, N.C. (April 26, 2021) – Technimark has partnered with Rhinostics and a P&G subsidiary, iMFLUX, to produce, package and distribute individually packaged medical-grade polypropylene nasal swabs to help healthcare professionals and researchers detect and diagnose potential infections such as COVID-19.
iMFLUX developed a novel fully injection-molded polypropylene nasal swab that P&G licensed to Rhinostics to bring to the clinical laboratory market. The novel swab allows for easy collection from the front of the nose and provides sample concentration of up to 30-fold over other swabs in viral transport media.
“Technimark is honored to join with other global leaders in healthcare innovation to address the increasing need for devices that can safely and accurately detect dangerous infections more quickly,” said Kris Peavy, president of Technimark’s Healthcare division. “Production of the medical-grade polypropylene nasal swabs will begin in April at Technimark’s headquarters in Asheboro. The swabs will be injection molded and packaged in an ISO Class 8 Cleanroom then sterilized prior to distribution.”
“We are proud to partner with Technimark, iMFLUX and P&G to bring new collection devices like the P&G nasal swab to clinical laboratory workflow,” said Cheri Walker, chief executive officer of Rhinostics. “Not only does the nasal swab production help to relieve supply chain bottlenecks, the new design and polypropylene materials allows for comfortable collection and sample concentration due to dry shipment and improved release of viral particles.”
Rhinostics plans to register the P&G polypropylene nasal swab as a Class I exempt medical device and will pursue Emergency Use Authorization for home collection with rPT-PCR testing, the gold standard for detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“We are proud to see the P&G-developed nasal swab come to market through the efforts of Rhinostics and Technimark,” said Mary Wagner, senior vice president at P&G and CEO of iMFLUX. “When we began this program, our intention was simply to help relieve bottlenecks in COVID-19 swab supply and bring a novel collection device to bear on the problem.”
About Technimark
Technimark is a global manufacturing solutions provider for the healthcare, consumer packaging and specialty industrial market. Technimark specializes in precision injection molding, value-added assembly and full supply chain services. Technimark provides clients with customized, end-to-end solutions based on technology and innovation that improve quality, reduce risk, lower costs and speed products to market. With facilities in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and China, Technimark delivers high-quality products worldwide. For more information, visit technimark.com.
About Rhinostics
Rhinostics Inc. commercializes simple and elegant solutions to bring efficiencies and cost savings to the laboratory workflow. The Rhinostics nasal swab provides features that increase sample throughput by more than 10-fold while removing labor and errors from the laboratory workflow. The swab is integrated onto a cap that can be automated for removal from the tube while all 96 samples are simultaneously accessioned through scanning a 2D barcode on the bottom of the tubes. The product provides an immediate impact to increasing COVID testing efficiencies while being applicable to broader respiratory viral, bacterial, and genetic testing using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and next generation sequencing (NGS). The Rhinostics product is registered as Class I exempt medical device with the FDA and is available for purchase. To learn more, visit https://www.rhinostics.com.
About iMFLUX
A subsidiary of P&G, iMFLUX is a team of innovators, operating globally to transform the future of plastic injection molding. Join us on our journey to autonomous molding™ and learn how we provide meaningful sustainability solutions. Please visit www.imflux.com for more information about iMFLUX, our patented game-changing processing software, and our mold design and innovation center.