Roche plans to sell Covid-19 antigen lab tests by end of 2020

Roche logo. Credit: Reuters Photo

Roche plans to start selling a higher-volume Covid-19 antigen test for laboratories by the end of the year as the Swiss drugmaker expands diagnostics for the pandemic.

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"These fully automated systems can provide test results in 18 minutes for a single test (excluding time for sample collection, transport, and preparation), with a throughput of up to 300 tests per hour from a single analyser, depending on the analyser," the group said in a statement.

The company did not immediately provide details on the accuracy of the antigen test compared to the more-common molecular tests that are now the industry standard in determining whether somebody has an active Covid-19 infection.