FDA authorizes rapid COVID 19 antigen test
The Food and Drug Administration has granted the first emergency use authorization to diagnostic healthcare company Quidel Corp. for the first COVID-19 antigen test, the agency announced. Antigen tests can quickly detect the coronavirus, but are generally considered less accurate than other types of tests that search out the virus.
Antigen tests for COVID-19 are akin to rapid flu or strep tests. This test can be run in a lab or in a doctor’s office, and only takes about 15 minutes.
The tests typically used to diagnose COVID-19, called PCR tests, search out the genetic sequence of the coronavirus in a swab collected from a patient’s nose or throat. Antigen tests, on the other hand, look for molecules on the surface of the virus. They return results much more quickly, but are less accurate. If the test says a patient sample is positive, it’s likely to be correct. But Quidel’s test has a high rate of false negatives: it only correctly identifies patient samples that contains the coronavirus 85 percent of the time, the company’s chief executive told the Wall Street Journal.
The FDA says negative results from an antigen test should be confirmed with a PCR test.
Quidel’s CEO told the WSJ the company is ramping up manufacturing to increase production of the test, officially called the Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA, with a goal of producing 1 million per week.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted the first emergency use authorization to diagnostic healthcare company Quidel Corp. for the first COVID-19 antigen test, the agency announced. Antigen tests can quickly detect the coronavirus, but are generally considered less accurate than other types of tests that search out the virus.…
Recent Posts
- DDoS attacks saw a huge surge in the first part of 2024, with one particular country badly hit
- What Jennifer Did is Netflix’s #1 movie – here are 3 high-rated true crime docs to watch next
- Owner of Grand Theft Auto to layoff hundreds and cut projects
- We’re now almost certain what the iPhone 16 series will look like
- Logitech wants you to press its new AI button
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011