The company producing a diagnostic test that can detect both the coronavirus and the flu says it has received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Becton, Dickinson and Company’s test can detect both viruses using a single specimen and can do so in as little as two to three hours. The test is recommended for patients who are hospitalized or for patients who are not hospitalized but for whom a positive result will change the treatment they receive.
The test is also highly accurate at detecting the U.K. and South African variants of the coronavirus.
“A computer analysis showed that 99.9% of the genetic sequences of these variants are an identical match to at least one of the two molecular targets for the test,” BD said in a press release Friday.
The company also states that it has also received approval to market the test in the European Union.
This is the second emergency use authorization that BD has received from the FDA in 2021. On Jan. 19, BD received one for a standalone coronavirus test.
