Abbott Laboratories launches 5-minute coronavirus test that is portable

The test employs molecular technology, which is highly valued by the scientific community for its accuracy.

Medics interact with a patient at a help desk, set-up in view of coronavirus pandemic, at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad | representational image | PTI

A well-known American medical devices company has launched a test to detect coronavirus in just five minutes. Abbott Laboratories on Friday announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the fastest available “molecular point-of-care” test to check for Covid-19.

The test can detect positive results in five minutes, while negative results take about 13 minutes. It will run on Abbott’s ID Now platform, which is small, lightweight and portable. It employs molecular technology, which is highly valued by the scientific community for its accuracy. Apart from quick test results, a selling point of the ID NOW platform is that it can be used in urgent care clinics, not just traditional hospitals.

Speaking to ThePrint, an official working at Abbott Laboratories India said, “We also plan to hold a video conference on Monday and see if this kit can be used in India.” Although, the company is not sure whether these kits can be used in the current crisis in India.

Abbott will make this test available next week to healthcare workers in urgent care settings in the United States. The production has already been ramped up to deliver 50,000 ID NOW coronavirus test kits each day from the next week. Robert B. Ford, president and chief operating officer, Abbott Laboratories said, “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 molecular point-of-care testing helps detect the virus by identifying a small section of the virus’ genome. This portion is later amplified until there’s enough for detection.

In a press release, Abbott Laboratories describes IDNOW as a “rapid, instrument-based, isothermal system for the qualitative detection of infectious diseases. Its unique isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology provides molecular results in just minutes, allowing clinicians to make evidence-based clinical decisions during a patient visit”.

The press release also notes that the ID NOW test has not been FDA approved so far, but has only been authorised by the FDA to be used during an emergency.

According to a John Hopkins University tally, the total number of reported coronavirus cases in the United States has reached 1,04,000. The death toll in the country has surpassed 1,700.