Quick Hits: Roche Increases COVID-19 Antibody Test Output

The FDA granted emergency approval for the antibody test that determines whether people have been infected with coronavirus.

Tim Hayes
May 4th, 2020
Roche
Roche
Reuters

Wondering if you’d had COVID-19? Join the club. Luckily, the test that determines if you’ve been infected is about to become a lot more accessible. A recent Reuters article noted that the FDA just granted emergency approval for Roche’s antibody test. The Swiss drugmaker hopes to more than double production to make over 100 million tests a month by the end of 2020.

The antibody test has a specificity rate that exceeds 99.8% and a sensitivity of 100%, which means it generates very few positive results, and no false negatives. Roche also makes a molecular test that identifies active COVID-19 infections. 

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