21 April

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has entered an agreement with Shenzhen Microprofit Biotech to distribute its rapid, finger prick Covid-19 test in the US. With this agreement, NovaBay will be the only US distributor of the test. The test, named fluorecare SARS-CoV-2 IgG & IgM Antibody Combined (colloidal gold chromatographic immunoassay) Test Kit, can detect the presence of Covid-19 antibodies and offer results in around 10 minutes.

Vela Diagnostics has received a contract worth $225,000 from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the development of manual and automated Covid-19 tests. The tests are designed to detect the Covid-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2. The test named, ViroKey SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Test, is a PCR test that identifies the presence of the virus by targeting conserved regions in the genome of SARS-CoV-2.

BGI Group has produced over ten million of its real-time SARS-CoV-2 tests, which have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is offering the test to over 80 countries. Additionally, BGI Group stated it is aiding its partners to set up emergency testing laboratories in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Epion Health has announced that it is offering its software platform to physician practices and health systems for free. It will offer its PreVisit mobile check-in and patient messaging platform as well as its Covid-19 screening tool for those who are not using the platform. The PreVisit platform aids health professionals to remotely triage patients pre-registered from any device and offers essential information to screen for coronavirus symptoms.