Abbott has received emergency use authorization from the US FDA for its Abbott ID Now COVID-19 test, the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Positive results are delivered in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes, according to Abbott.
The new Abbott ID Now COVID-19 test runs on Abbott’s ID Now platform—a lightweight box (6.6 pounds and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations.
Because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in a matter of minutes, bringing an alternate testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus.
The company is ramping up production to deliver 50,000 ID Now COVID-19 tests per day, beginning next week, to the US healthcare system.
“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus,” said Robert B. Ford, president and COO, Abbott. “With rapid testing on ID NOW, healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots.”
This comes on the heels of our announcement last week of the availability of the Abbott RealTime SARS-CoV-2 EUA test under FDA EUA, which runs on m2000 RealTime molecular system for centralized lab environments. Combined with ID Now, Abbott expects to produce about 5 million tests in April.
See how the test works, here:
