A $10 Covid-19 Test? Walmart Heirs Back Startup Developing At-Home Tests
November 20 2020 - 6:13PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah Nassauer and Sarah Krouse
The billionaire Walton family that controls Walmart Inc. is
among a group of investors backing a startup aiming to design
at-home Covid-19 tests to sell for as little as $10 at the retail
giant's stores and elsewhere.
NowDiagnostics Inc., based 20 miles south of Walmart's corporate
headquarters, has filed requests for emergency authorization from
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a Covid-19 antibody blood
test, according to the Springdale, Ark., company.
It is also developing two at-home Covid-19 tests that would use
a patient's salvia and deliver results in minutes, said Chief
Executive Kevin Clark. One of those would be an antigen test that
looks for virus proteins to diagnose an active infection and the
other an antibody test, which looks for an immune response that can
signal a previous infection.
None of the tests have been authorized by the FDA for use.
For several years Walmart has talked with NowDiagnostics about
selling tests for ailments like the flu in its stores, as part of a
push to offer more fixed-priced health-care services and products.
Those discussions expanded during the pandemic to include Covid-19
diagnostic and serologic tests if they pass regulatory muster,
people familiar with the discussions said.
NowDiagnostics is one of many biotechnology and diagnostic
companies racing to develop easy-to-use at-home tests for Covid-19.
To date, those tests have faced hurdles including ensuring users
know how to collect high-quality samples and process them in a way
that delivers accurate results.
While saliva samples are used for diagnostic PCR tests run in
labs, and collecting spit is less invasive than swabbing a person's
nose or throat, no saliva-based rapid tests have yet secured
emergency approval. OraSure Technologies Inc., which has tried to
create a saliva-based rapid antigen test, recently abandoned the
development work.
"As research and development progressed, we found we could
achieve greater sensitivity, and the best possible accuracy, by
using samples collected with a simple, fast swab just inside of the
nostril," said Dr. Stephen Tang, OraSure's chief executive.
The FDA this week approved the first at-home Covid-19 test that
includes a nasal swab people can administer themselves and receive
results in minutes. The company that makes the tests, Lucira Health
Inc., said it plans to roll them out nationally by spring, likely
costing about $50 apiece. Lucira plans to eventually sell its test
online and deliver it overnight with a medical professional's
prescription.
NowDiagnostics aims to sell each of its three Covid-19 tests for
under $10, said Mr. Clark.
Investors in NowDiagnostics include members of the Walton family
through Arkansas-based venture capital firm NewRoad Capital
Partners, according to people familiar with the matter.
NowDiagnostics investors also include several former Walmart
executives, said these people.
A spokeswoman for the Walton family declined to comment. Mr.
Clark declined to discuss the Waltons, saying the company has
investors from across the country. NewRoad declined to comment on
individual investors.
For years NowDiagnostic has worked to develop inexpensive
at-home medical tests including for HIV, pregnancy and food
intolerance, but it shifted focus to develop Covid-19-related
products when the pandemic hit, said Mr. Clark. The company's
blood-based pregnancy test for lab use is the only one that has
been cleared by the FDA, he said.
Walmart isn't directly involved with NowDiagnostics and doesn't
have an exclusive agreement to buy its products, said Mr. Clark,
but the company has worked closely with current and former Walmart
executives.
"This concept began out of some conversation with Walmart
personnel, way back in 2012," he said.
A Walmart spokeswoman declined to comment.
In recent years Walmart has worked to broaden its health-care
business, mostly by offering medical treatments at upfront low
prices, often below the cost of an insurance copay. It has built a
handful of clinics near or inside Walmart stores that offer
doctor's visits, X-rays and dental services. Executives said during
recent investor presentations that they plan to build more.
Walmart has hundreds of stores that offer Covid-19 testing from
pharmacy windows or parking lots, in partnership with federal and
state governments, labs and insurance companies. Those sites
currently send samples to lab companies like Quest Diagnostics Inc.
and eTrueNorth for processing.
The Walton family collectively owns around 50% of Walmart's
stock, and three family members currently sit on the Walmart board.
The family has invested previously in other upstart diagnostic
companies including blood-testing company Theranos Inc. They were
among the many investors burned by the startup when it dissolved
after being accused of defrauding doctors, patients and its
backers.
Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com and Sarah
Krouse at sarah.krouse@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 20, 2020 17:58 ET (22:58 GMT)
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