WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the ACON Laboratories' Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test, an over-the-counter COVID-19 antigen test that can be used at home without a prescription.
According to the health regulator, the authorization for Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test significantly increases the availability of at-home tests and is expected to double rapid at-home testing capacity in the U.S. over the next several weeks.
By years end, the manufacturer plans to produce more than 100 million tests per month, and this number will rise to 200 million per month by February 2022.
Since March 2020, the FDA has authorized more than 400 COVID-19 tests and sample collection devices, including authorizations for rapid, OTC at-home tests.
According to reports, rapid tests are currently ten times more expensive in the U.S. than in other countries. Health experts expect easy availability of at-home Covid tests can help people to quickly identify whether they are positive with the virus and take the needed precautions.
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