(Yicai Global) Jan. 7 -- Shares in BGI Genomics advanced as much as 4.4 percent today after the leading Chinese diagnostics firm said that its test kit for colorectal cancer has been approved for sale in Saudi Arabia.

BGI’s stock [SHE:300676] closed up 2.33 percent at CNY90.97 (USD14). Earlier in the day it had reached CNY92.85.

The DNA Methylation Detection Kit can detect changes in stool samples to confirm illness, Shenzhen-based BGI said today. The product is of great assistance to clinicians in the diagnosis of colon cancer as it is non-invasive and effective. However it should not be used as the sole diagnostic tool and must be used in conjunction with a comprehensive analysis of the patient and other lab-based indicators, it added.

Produced by BGI’s Europe branch, BGI Europe, the approval by the Saudi Food & Drug Authority will make the company more well known in Saudi Arabia, BGI said. It will also help control and prevent local cases of colorectal cancer, one of the most common cancers in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Editor: Kim Taylor