Medical technology firm Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) has entered into a collaboration with smartphone-enabled at-home medical tests provider Scanwell Health to develop an at-home rapid test for Covid-19.
Using a BD antigen test and the Scanwell Health mobile app, the partnership is expected to roll out an at-home rapid test for SARS-CoV-2.
Scanwell Health founder and CEO Stephen Chen said: “Partnering with an industry leader like BD creates a unique opportunity to help millions of people test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the safety and comfort of their homes.”
As part of the partnership, BD intends to produce a lateral flow antigen test and couple it with the Scanwell Health mobile app.
The app is expected to deliver step-by-step instructions on how to collect and transfer a nasal swab sample, as well as use the camera of the mobile device to analyse and interpret results.
According to BD, the Covid-19 rapid test will show the results onscreen.
Further, the firms intend to develop functionality to support automated reporting to public health agencies.
BD life sciences president Dave Hickey said: “BD and Scanwell Health are bringing the best of our innovations together to develop a reliable test with a convenient and simple user experience. We see the development of an at-home lateral flow rapid antigen test as a complementary solution to our best-in-class BD Veritor system.”
The BD Veritor Plus System for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 Assay has already secured emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by authorised laboratories.
The EUA status allows the test to use only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2 and not for any other viruses or pathogens.
Recently, BD has secured FDA EUA status for SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A+B diagnostic test. The new combination molecular diagnostic test has also secured CE mark approval.
