BD Begins Shipments Of First Smartphone Interpreted Over-The-Counter Rapid COVID-19 Test

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced it 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. For more information, visit BDVeritorAtHome.com.

About the BD Veritor™ At-Home COVID-19 Test
The BD Veritor™ At-Home COVID-19 Test has not been FDA cleared or approved; but has been authorized by FDA under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of IVDs for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

About Scanwell Health
Scanwell Health empowers health care consumers and companies through at-home medical testing with instant results. Scanwell pairs proven diagnostics with patented computer vision technology to put testing into the hands of people, enabling quick detection of acute illnesses and convenient monitoring of chronic diseases. The company is the first and only to receive FDA 510(k) clearance for an over-the-counter diagnostic smartphone application. Learn more at scanwellhealth.com.

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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)