US Company Says Received FDA's Authorization For 5-Minute Coronavirus Tests

US Company Says Received FDA's Authorization for 5-Minute Coronavirus Tests

Abbott Laboratories, a medical equipment and health care company based in the United States, announced on Saturday it had received authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tests capable of detecting the novel coronavirus as fast as in five minutes

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2020) Abbott Laboratories, a medical equipment and health care company based in the United States, announced on Saturday it had received authorization from the US food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tests capable of detecting the novel coronavirus as fast as in five minutes.

"Abbott has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), delivering positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes," the company said in a press release.

According to Abbott, the particular advantage of its tests is their size - a 6.6 pound lightweight box with a size of a small toaster - which makes it possible to use them outside of hospitals in places like the physicians' office or urgent care clinics.

The company said it would ramp up production to deliver 50,000 ID NOW COVID-19 tests per day, beginning next week.

Last week, another US company, Cepheid, said its tests got FDA's emergency use authorization. Its Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 use the rapid molecular diagnostic method to detect the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19, vowing to deliver results in 45 minutes.