Several companies have reported quarterly results over the past couple of days, and those offering testing for COVID-19 have seen impressive numbers. Standing out was San Diego-based Quidel Corp., whose numbers caught the attention of William Blair’s Brian Weinstein. Indeed, its $174.7 million in revenue far exceeded his organization’s estimate of $160 million, driven by influenza.
As states in the U.S. move past the initial push for tests to identify active COVID-19 infections, antibody tests are ramping up quickly to aid in disease surveillance and return-to-work screenings. The rush has spurred an explosion in serology tests, many hastily developed and of questionable value. However, as the pandemic enters its third month, some companies are offering high-accuracy tests with validated results.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world – and the face of diagnostics. In a matter of weeks, a host of companies has worked to develop tests to find those patients who currently have the disease, as well as those who have developed antibodies.
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. has launched its SARS-CoV-2 Total Ab test, which is a blood-based assay to identify all the antibodies that are developed by the human body in response to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Companies have been racing to offer serological tests that work to detect the antibodies developed during a COVID-19 infection that remain present in the blood after the initial infection clears.