Miles calls for emergency trigger to help Qld rapid antigen testing firm

Crippling shortages of groceries and workers must be put to an end and emergency measures implemented to supply rapid antigen tests, the Deputy Premier says.

A Queensland company is producing and selling rapid antigen tests to America and Europe but still isn’t allowed to make them for Australians.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said emergency authorisation to manufacture rapid antigen tests in Queensland was vital to end crippling shortages of workers and groceries.

Eight Mile Plains medical company AnteoTech could manufacture 12 million rapid tests each year.

The local company is already supplying tests to the USA and Europe, but is still awaiting approval to do the same here.

AnteoTech CEO Derek Thomson said he had been in discussions with Canberra for almost two years about manufacturing tests for Australia.

“We didn’t get a huge amount of traction at the time in a discussion nor did any other manufacturers by the way,” he said.

AnteoTech CEO Derek Thomson at the company’s Eight Mile Plains facility. Picture: David Clark

The company lodged a submission with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in September and said it was in the final stages of processing.

“We would have liked it to go quicker but we understand that they have a responsibility and we’re working with them as best we possibly can,” he said.

Every rapid antigen test available in the Australian market is manufactured overseas.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the nation was now “in a rapid antigen testing emergency”.

“It is the shortage of rapid antigen tests that means there is not meat on grocery shelves and it is not good enough for the Prime Minister to say it’s not the federal government’s job to fix this problem,” he said.

The Deputy Premier has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling for the TGA’s emergency authorisation powers to be used in the face of “urgent need for RATs” which he said would continue for the foreseeable future.

“The use of emergency authorisations by the TGA has the opportunity to unlock significant Australian manufacturing capability, relieving supply chain pressure and improving the nation’s ability to secure test kits for their frontline workers, schoolchildren and the community,” he said.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles speaks during a press conference at the labs of Rapid Antigen Tests manufacturer AnteoTech in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The push for locally manufactured tests in Australia comes as Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the government was giving “serious consideration” to bringing forward the three-month gap for boosters to before January 31.

“I want to make sure that the pharmacies and the GPs would be ready for that if we did do that,” she said.

“There is still 40 per cent of the eligible population – people who it’s been four months or more since they had their second dose – haven’t come forward yet to get vaccinated.

“Irrespective of when we change the three-month threshold, please, if you’re already at that four-month mark come forward and get your booster straightaway.”

The state government is also ramping up the pressure on the Morrison Government about the lack of available rapid antigen tests.

The head of the TGA, Professor John Skerritt, said the drug administrator had difficulties with some RAT-producing companies “making false claims” they were waiting for approvals.

“We’re getting a lot of false claims, oh well, we’re waiting for TGA to approve this product and they haven’t even submitted either no data or they’ve submitted some of the data,” he said.

Prof Skerritt did not identify any company and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by AnteoTech.

He said the TGA had approved more rapid antigen tests than their American equivalent the FDA, despite being 15-times smaller.

Queensland recorded 16,812 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total active cases in the state to 91,306.

Nine Queenslanders died and there are more than 40 people in intensive care.

A teenager was among nine people to die of Covid-19.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said an 18-year-old who died had serious underlying health conditions.

Of the others, one person was in their 70s, five in their 80s, one in their 90s and one aged over 100.

Dr Gerrard said three were unvaccinated, one had a booster and the others were double dosed.

There are now 2374 health workers with Covid-19 and more than 1900 health workers in quarantine.