THURSDAY, April 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — An over-the-counter rapid COVID-19 test made by Abbott Laboratories has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company says.
It said that its BinaxNOW test was granted emergency use authorization by the FDA for nonprescription use at home, The Washington Post reported. “This new indication allows individuals with or without symptoms to have access to this test without a prescription,” Abbott said in a statement.
The test provides results in about 15 minutes and “will be simple, even for people who have never tested themselves,” according to the company, The Post reported.
Abbott said it expects to begin shipping the tests to major food and drug retailers in the coming weeks and that they may also be available online. The price to consumers is not known, but a company spokeswoman told Reuters that Abbott plans to sell them to retailers for less than $10 each, The Post reported.
The new test could significantly increase Americans’ access to COVID-19 testing.
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