(March 18)
Abbott announced it has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its molecular test for the identification of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The company is deploying 150,000 laboratory tests immediately, according to a release on its website. Tests already have been sent to hospital and academic medical center labs in 18 states including Illinois, California, New York, Massachusetts and Washington. Abbott is scaling up production at its U.S. manufacturing location to reach capacity for one million tests per week by end of March.
The Abbott RealTime SARS-CoV-2 EUA test can be used on Abbott’s molecular instrument, the m2000 RealTime system, by authorized laboratories in the U.S. These lab instruments, which test for a broad array of infectious diseases and are found in health systems across the U.S., can now have access to a SARS-CoV-2 assay to help healthcare providers deal with the high demand for testing.