- Chicago’s Abbott Labs launches 5-minute corona positive test
- Results for corona-negative in 13 minutes
- To produce 50,000 test kits per day
- Portable tester is toaster-sized
Mukund Patel
Chicago (USA): Abbott Laboratories, a leading Chicago (Illinois) based healthcare company, has launched a new molecular coronavirus test that can produce results in only five minutes.
It has also been granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for fastest available point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (Covind-19).
The innovation has come at a time when the USA has already witnessed death of over 4,000 people, surpassing even China, and infections to over half-a-million others. Worldwide, more than 42,000 deaths and 860,000 corona cases have been reported. The Abbott test also gives corona- negative results in 13 minutes.
Unlike others, this test is very different as it can be used outside a hospital as well, for example in the physician’s or urgent care clinics.
The new test runs on Abbott’s IS NOW TM platform—a lightweight box (6.6 pounds weight and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations, the company said.
Because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in minutes, bringing an alternative testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus.
“We are ramping up production to deliver 50,000 tests per day, beginning next week, to the US healthcare system.”
Last week, the company had announced of the availability of the Abbott RealTime SARS-CoV-2 EUA test which runs on m2000 RealTime molecular system for centralized laboratory environments. Combined with ID NOW, Abott expects to produce about 5 million tests in April.
Testing remains a crucial step in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing to supply healthcare providers with new technologies to help curb the spread of infection is a top priority for public health officials and healthcare providers.
The innovation takes molecular testing to the front lines. The molecular point-of-care testing for COVID-19 offers healthcare workers rapid results in more settings where people show up for care. Molecular testing technologies help detect the presence of a virus by identifying a small section of the virus’ genome, then amplifying that portion until there’s enough for detection. This process can cut testing wait time from hours, if not days, to as little as five minutes for positive results and 13 minutes for negative results.
When not being used for COVID-19 testing, ID NOW is the leading molecular point-of-care platform for Influenza A&B, Strep A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) testing. “Our platform holds the largest molecular point-of-care footprint in the U.S. and is already widely available in physicians’ offices, urgent care clinics, and hospital emergency departments across the country.”
“Through the incredible work of teams across Abbott, we expect to deliver 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day to healthcare professionals on the front lines, where testing capabilities are needed most,” said Chris Scoggins, senior vice president, Rapid Diagnostics, Abbott. “Portable molecular testing expands the country’s capacity to get people answers faster.”
The ID NOW COVID-19 EUA has not been FDA-cleared or approved. It has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use by authorized laboratories and patient care settings. The test has been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens, and is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostic tests for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19, unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.