BD Ships OTC Smartphone-Interpreted Rapid COVID-19 Test

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has started to ship the first over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 rapid antigen test to use computer vision technology in a smartphone to interpret testing results, and the test is now available for purchase online in Amazon’s store. 
 
BD developed this new, rapid self-test to make COVID-19 testing faster and easier for people to complete in the privacy and safety of their own homes. The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test uses the Scanwell Health mobile app to interpret and provide a digital display of testing results in 15 minutes. The test is also one of the only at-home tests to fully automate reporting of results to federal and state public health agencies and provides a streamlined experience for optional reporting to businesses and schools. The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test comes with two tests in each box for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $39.99. The test is available on Amazon.com for $26.50 through December to U.S. customers, as part of its partnership with the U.S. government.  
 
“Bringing the BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test to Amazon.com enables U.S. consumers to purchase and perform an at-home COVID-19 test without leaving the comfort of their own home,” said Dave Hickey, president of Life Sciences for BD. “Now that we are entering flu season, it is a perfect time to put a BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test in your medicine cabinet, so if you or a family member develop flu-like symptoms—which can mirror COVID-19 symptoms—you can self-test for COVID-19 at home. In addition, The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test offers advantages over other at-home tests on the market, including smartphone interpretation and digital display of results, along with automated reporting. There is no guessing game about one line or two, as is sometimes the case with visually read tests. You get a definitive ‘POSITIVE’ or ‘NEGATIVE’ digital display of the result.”
 
The test is also available for businesses, governments and schools through traditional BD sales channels. The new at-home test is an option for businesses, enterprises and schools looking to provide a self-testing method for employees or students.
 
Solving At-Home Testing Challenges
Conducting COVID-19 testing at home presents several challenges, which can include confusing instructions, confirmation that swabbing was performed, potentially ambiguous interpretation of the results and difficulty reporting results to public health officials or employers and schools.
 
The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test uses advanced technology to solve for these challenges, including:
 

• Definitive POSITIVE or NEGATIVE digital display of testing results: The smartphone’s camera and app are used to capture, analyze and interpret the results, which eliminates the human subjectivity of a visually read test.
• Easy-to-use mobile app with step-by-step instructions: An easy-to-use mobile app from Scanwell yields reliable test results in 15 minutes. The app is available on iOS and Android and provides step-by-step video instructions on how to collect and transfer the nasal swab sample to the test stick. The app also has built-in timers and alerts to ensure users are waiting the required time periods before proceeding to the next step of testing. The guided app allows users to self-test with confidence, without having to connect live with a proctor.
• Pain-free nasal swab and human protein detection: A simple nasal swab provides a pain-free experience. The test stick has a built-in quality check that confirms the application of a human sample. This sample adequacy control will yield an invalid result if no human sample is detected. Internal reagent controls also act to confirm that the sample was appropriately applied to the test stick.
• Automated reporting: The app also automates secure, timely reporting to state and federal public health officials. Because results are stored securely, reporting can be configured to automate reporting to businesses or schools as well.

 
The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test is designed to be easily performed at home by people 14 years of age or older, using Scanwell’s app to provide clear digital results in 15 minutes. The test can also be used for children as young as two years old with samples collected by an adult.