Chinese authorities announced it will launch an investigation on Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology after it was accused of selling faulty COVID-19 test kits to Spain and the Czech Republic at marked-up prices.

The announcement comes after local news outlets in Spain reported the majority of rapid test kits bought from the Chinese firm were deemed too inaccurate to produce reliable diagnosis on potential COVID-19 patients.

A news site in the Czech Republic reported 120,000 out of the 150,000 portable quick COVID-19 test kits from China were substandard. The test was said to be able to produce results in less than 15 minutes. However, the error rate was too high to be of any use.

It was reported the Chinese firm was paid $546,000 for over 100,000 test kits. The Interior Ministry, who paid for the other 50,000, refused to disclose the amount paid.

In Spain, health officials found the kits only correctly identified 30 percent of virus cases. The country has since returned 9,000 test kits due to a high error rate.

"It's not our fault"

Bioeasy said the unreliable results were due to the health workers' failure in collecting samples and using the kits correctly. They also said company representatives have not had a chance to teach buyers how the kits worked.

The Chinese company offered to replace all faulty test kits. It also assured officials "the sensitivity and specificity needed" to help the hard-hit country fight against COVID-19.

The Chinese manufacturer said they contacted the Spanish Ministry of Health after it received news of the faulty COVID-19 test kits. They immediately gave an instructional video and related cards to healthcare officials in Spain.

An institute on infectious diseases and clinical microbiology in Spain has tried the new bath of products and said the results produced were accurate so far.

Bioeasy claimed the Spanish Health Ministry has extended their contract and ordered another batch of COVID-19 test kits.

Spanish officials said they will now rely on slower molecular laboratory testing while waiting for the replacement. The laboratory test takes approximately four hours to produce a result and needs the supervision of specialized personnel.

Not Purchased Through the Chinese Government?

The Chinese Embassy in Spain said Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology was not included on the list of recommended companies they provided to Spanish authorities.

The Spanish government made a statement on Thursday, clarifying the issue. The statement said the faulty test kits involved in the incident were not the ones it bought from the Chinese government.

The kits were said to be imported by a Spanish supplier from a Chinese manufacturer. The products had a certification stamp that allowed it to be sold within the European Economic Area. The stamps are used to indicate conformity with health, safety, and environmental standards.

The failure of the test kits set back Spanish medical authorities who are struggling to manage the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

It has also tarnished China's image which the Asian country was seeking to rehabilitate after took hits due to its faulty early response to the virus.

A health official in Spain said the country is trying to import over 6 million testing kits while Spanish biotechnology firms are hard at work in producing fast and reliable testing kits.

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