Abbott receives EUA for its rapid COVID-19 antigen self-test BinaxNOW

• Individuals with or without COVID-19 signs can get BinaxNOW without the need for a prescription.
• Abbott is reportedly planning to deliver BinaxNOW to major consumer goods retailers.

American multinational medical device company Abbott Laboratories has announced to have received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for BinaxNOW, a self-test antigen for detecting COVID-19.

Individuals with or without COVID-19 signs can get this test without the need for a prescription. In the coming weeks, Abbott is reportedly planning to deliver BinaxNOW to major food, pharmacy, and mass merchandiser retailers. The test will also be available on some of the retailers’ websites.

For those unaware, the BinaxNOW Self-Test, which provides results in just 15 minutes, allows people who have tested positive to isolate themselves immediately, rather than waiting days for lab results or sending away at-home tests.

The test can be used on children as well as all among adults aged 15 and above. Moreover, BinaxNOW will be packaged in a two-count box in order to fulfill serial testing criteria.

Robert B. Ford, President, and CEO at Abbott reportedly stated that when paired with vaccination, the BinaxNOW Self-Test will aid Americans to resume their daily chores.

Initially, Abbott had rolled out the BinaxNOW technical test across the United States and expanded its production across all its manufacturing facilities to 50 million tests every month.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had bought the company's first 150 million tests and distributed them to nursing homes, K-12 schools, as well as underserved populations, where they are still in use today and are considered to be a valuable tool in the battle against the Coronavirus.

In similar developments, American manufacturer of diagnostic healthcare products Quidel Corporation has also announced that the FDA has granted its QuickVue® At-Home OTC COVID-19 test an Emergency Use Authorization.

Source Credit –

https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/21/03/n20438966/abbotts-binaxnow-rapid-antigen-self-test-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization-for-asymptomatic