BARDA reaches development agreement with BD to create combination COVID-19, flu and coronavirus tests

Reckoning with the threat of diseases present and future, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a new collaboration last week with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to develop and win approval for diagnostics capable of identifying COVID-19, influenza, as well as novel and emerging coronaviruses.

These wide-ranging tests include the diagnostic panels known as the BD Veritor Plus System Respiratory Panel, BD MAX System Respiratory Panel, BD MAX System Respiratory Panel plus Pan-Coronavirus, BD COR System Respiratory Panel, and BD COR System Respiratory Panel plus Pan-Coronavirus. They represent tests for point-of-care, acute-care, and high-throughput lab settings, not at-home use.

In assisting BD, — one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world — BARDA seeks tests capable of screening for multiple pathogens in a single sample from symptomatic patients. For Veritor, this means differentiating between different antigens to identify SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and B, while BD MAX and BD COR propose coverage that includes all that and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). When the Pan-Coronavirus is added in, they can even test for SARS-CoV-1, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), seasonal coronaviruses, or novel coronaviruses.

In finding the cause of illness, health care providers are much better equipped to handle patient health management and health care resources. BARDA also sees an opportunity to head off future pandemics by adding tests capable of detecting novel or emerging coronaviruses.