England to start using two new 90-minute COVID-19 tests in preparation for the winter
pharmafile | August 3, 2020 | News story | Sales and Marketing | COVID-19, coronavirus
Two new coronavirus tests are set to be made available throughout England that are significantly faster than most already in use.
One of the tests will be a LamPORE swab test, which will be available from next week, with half a million being stockpiled. Millions more will be supplied by Oxford Nanopore to be available later this year. These swabs will be analysed by thousands of DNA testing machines that are set to be used in NHS hospitals from September. 5,000 will be supplied by DnaNudge which will provide 5.8 million tests in the coming months.
Matt Hancock, the British Health Secretary, commented on the new tests: “The fact these tests can detect flu as well as Covid-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others. I am hugely grateful for the excellent work done by DnaNudge and Oxford Nanopore to push forward these life-saving innovations in coronavirus testing.”
The companies involved in developing the tests also released statements. Professor Chris Toumazou, co-founder of DnaNudge, said: “The DnaNudge team worked with incredible speed and skill during the peak of the pandemic to deliver this highly accurate, rapid Covid-19 test, which requires absolutely no laboratory or pipettes and can be deployed anywhere with a direct sample-to-result in around just over an hour.”
Gordan Sanghera, the CEO of Oxford Nanopore, also commented: “LamPORE has the potential to deliver a highly effective and, crucially, accessible global testing solution, not only for Covid-19 but for a range of other pathogens.”
This news comes as a major incident has been declared across Greater Manchester due to several outbreaks of the virus in the region
Conor Kavanagh
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