SECAUCUS, N.J., March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest
Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic
information services, today announced it will launch a coronavirus
(COVID-19) test service. The new test service aids the presumptive
detection of nucleic acid in respiratory specimens of patients
meeting CDC's clinical criteria for COVID-19 testing.
Quest will be in position to receive specimens for testing, and
begin to provide testing on Monday, March 9,
2020. With the new service, Quest Diagnostics will provide
access to a COVID-19 test service for patients in the United States.
The new test service will be provided as a laboratory developed
test, pending review by the FDA under emergency use authorization
(EUA) which the company will submit per FDA guidance within 15 days
of clinical testing. The test is a molecular based assay which
detects viral RNA in respiratory specimens.
"In times of national health crises, quality laboratory testing
is absolutely critical to mobilizing effective public health
response," said Steve Rusckowski
Chairman, CEO and President, Quest Diagnostics. "Quest's
national scale, diagnostic expertise and innovation, and
relationships with half the country's physicians and health systems
is a vital complement to the efforts of the CDC and other public
health labs to contend with a growing number of suspected COVID-19
cases in the United States. We
applaud the FDA for providing the flexibility for innovative,
quality lab developed tests to be brought to patients and providers
quickly to advance effective response to the coronavirus
outbreak."
The new service is expected to employ respiratory specimens
collected in appropriate health care settings, such as hospitals
and physician offices. Quest Diagnostics patient service centers
and phlebotomy sites do not collect respiratory specimens on
suspected COVID-19 cases. Patients suspected of, or confirmed to
have, COVID-19 should consult with a physician regarding the best
way to provide a specimen for testing by Quest.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 (formally known as
2019-nCoV) is the name for the respiratory syndrome caused by
infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2).
Quest Diagnostics is a leader in infectious disease testing
services, with a broad menu of molecular, antibody, and other test
services to aid diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.
For more information about the company's response to COVID-19,
visit www.questdiagnostics.com/home/Coronavirus/
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers
people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the
world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic
insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire
healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest
Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half
the physicians and hospitals in the
United States, and our 47,000 employees understand that, in
the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights
can inspire actions that transform lives.
www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics