Abbott Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Rapid Molecular COVID-19 Test Delivering Results in as Little as 5 Minutes

On March 29, Abbott announced that the U.S. FDA had granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its molecular point-of-care test for detecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This test can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes, making it one of the fastest point-of-care tests currently available. The test will run on the company’s ID NOW platform, providing rapid results across a broad range of healthcare settings, including physician offices, urgent care clinics, and hospital emergency departments.

The ID NOW platform is compact, lightweight (6.6 pounds), and portable (about the size of a small toaster). It utilizes molecular technology and is highly regarded by clinicians and the scientific community for its high accuracy. ID NOW is currently one of the most widely used molecular point-of-care testing platforms in the United States.

According to Robert B. Ford, President and Chief Operating Officer of Abbott, the company will be able to provide its NOW COVID-19 test kits to healthcare workers in U.S. emergency medical settings as early as next week. Most ID testing platforms currently in use in the United States are deployed in such environments. The company is collaborating with the U.S. government to deliver tests to areas where they can have the greatest impact.