By placing part of its laboratories and personnel at the disposal of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Animal Health company is helping to speed up the delivery of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus test results

The objective of this joint project between the multinational veterinary pharmaceutical company HIPRA, which has its headquarters in Amer (Girona), and the local authorities was clear: to join forces to meet the high level of demand for PCR tests with which they were confronted during the first months of the pandemic.

The result exceeded expectations: a total of 30,000 patient samples were analysed which came from the principal hospitals in the Girona health region (82% of which were negative) at a rate of up to 1,000 PCRs per day with the patients notified of the results in less than 24 hours from the arrival of the sample.

The collaborative effort of a multidisciplinary team

The project was initiated at the start of the pandemic, when HIPRA contacted the Catalan Institute of Health to offer its impartial assistance against the background of the health crisis. Following on from this, the company placed at the disposal of the authorities its new facilities that had recently been built at its headquarters and that it was planning to open as part of its business expansion plan (around 700 m2 of laboratories equipped with the latest PCR diagnostic technology).

It was in these new facilities that HIPRA experts, together with professionals from the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS), the Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI) and personnel from the University of Girona (UdG) started to work selflessly, forming a multidisciplinary team which in record time managed to analyse around 1,000 samples daily coming from up to 7 hospitals in the Girona health region and care homes in the area.

The collaboration of the company has been vital for the processing of samples as it has allowed the throughput anticipated by the Health Institute of Girona to be multiplied. “The facilities provided by HIPRA in terms of personnel and premises have been an enormous help in carrying out this project”, said Marc Llirós, researcher at the IDIBGI.

“It has been an amazing experience, collaborating in this team that, with a united effort, has managed to find a way through a health situation such as we have never seen before” said Jose Manuel Ramírez, a member of the Health Institute.

Today, the volume of samples arriving at the company’s laboratories has decreased and it is the HIPRA professionals who are entirely responsible for analysing and processing them. However, both HIPRA and the health authorities have given their assurance that if the demand for tests starts to rise again because of a possible resurgence, this collaboration would be resumed.

HIPRA and the concept of One Health

“At HIPRA we are committed to the global One Health strategy to combat the different animal health challenges”, said company sources.

“We believe that professionals dedicated to human, animal and environmental health should be united and form collaborative teams that enhance the experience of each of the sectors”, they said.