Data, supply chain constraints still dog COVID-19 testing, NIH officials say

Former heads of BARDA and NESTcc highlighted a need for comparing test types and protocols as the U.S. seeks to boost point-of-care options for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 29, 2020

6.5M Abbott COVID-19 antigen tests to reach states this week

Initial distribution of the rapid point-of-care diagnostics is meant to help reopen economies and schools, President Donald Trump said. It's still far short of the 200 million some experts say are needed each month.

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 29, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

New medical devices are reshaping the medtech industry

From pulsed field ablation devices to glucose sensors and surgical robotics, new medical technologies are transforming patient care and how people manage their health.

By MedTech Dive staff

CMS lowers barriers for labs seeking COVID-19 test certification

Administrator Seema Verma said the new tools are designed to improve the "obscure process and outdated modes of payment" for labs to obtain CLIA certification to test for COVID-19 during the pandemic.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 28, 2020

Hologic receives FDA emergency use for asymptomatic COVID-19 test

The nod for the test, which must be sent to a lab for results, comes as point-of-care tests that provide on-site results take off and are embraced by health officials and experts.

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 28, 2020

Exact Sciences wows investors with preliminary multi-cancer liquid biopsy data

Cowen analysts acknowledged "a lot of work still needs to be done" but are "very enthused by the early data" on the Cologuard maker's blood test, which helped shares close up 27% on Thursday.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 25, 2020

FDA grants EUA to first point-of-care COVID-19 antibody test

The lateral flow assay from Assure Tech achieved positive and negative percent agreements of 100% for IgG and IgM antibodies combined.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 24, 2020

Quest, Walmart pilot drone delivery of COVID-19 tests

The same-day service currently being tested in Las Vegas will use drones to drop at-home collection testing kits on driveways, front sidewalks and backyards.  

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 23, 2020

ACLA pushes back ahead of MedPAC's 2021 report to Congress on lab fee rates

The trade group for LabCorp and Quest is wary that the Commission's rate recommendations due in June could end up being overly burdensome and not reflective of the market for all lab services.   

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 22, 2020

Labs, diagnostics, dialysis sectors predicted to recover by year-end, but S&P cautious on device outlook

The analysts would "like to see the number of procedures stabilize, if not improve" before reconsidering predictions for the medical devices industry.

By Ron Shinkman • Sept. 21, 2020

Illumina inks $8B Grail buyout for liquid biopsy market. Investors are not sold.

Shares in Illumina, which formed cancer detection startup Grail in 2016, fell as analysts questioned whether the cash-and-stock deal plays to its strengths.

By Nick Paul Taylor , Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 21, 2020

Qiagen completes takeover of PCR automation player NeuMoDx for $248M

The still-independent Dutch molecular diagnostics company said NeuMoDx devices process test results three times as fast as some rival systems.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 18, 2020

PerkinElmer tops FDA COVID-19 test sensitivity list, with BD and Roche scoring lower

PerkinElmer’s coronavirus nucleic acid kit achieved the lowest limit of detection, indicating greater sensitivity or ability to accurately detect the virus, in an agency comparison of 58 tests.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 18, 2020

Cellex, Gauss ally to develop fully at-home, app-enabled COVID-19 antigen test

The first company to receive an FDA nod for a coronavirus antibody test is pairing its 15-minute antigen test with a smartphone app to automate interpretation of results. There might be a higher likelihood of false negatives.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 17, 2020

Moody's raises medtech outlook amid testing boom at Abbott, Thermo Fisher

But the investors service warned the pace of innovation in the COVID-19 test sector may render some products obsolete and create winners and losers.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 17, 2020

Roche gets FDA nod for faster combo coronavirus-flu test

The diagnostic, designed to detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2 and influenzas A and B, gives results within 20 minutes, compared to a prior authorized version for a Roche system with an hours-long turnaround.

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 16, 2020

BD probes COVID-19 false positives with point-of-care systems

The medtech's antigen tests have spurred demand from the federal government and states, but may be turning up incorrect results in nursing homes, The Wall Street Journal reported and the company confirmed Tuesday morning.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 15, 2020

After uneven start to 2020, Hologic becomes Wall Street darling

An update Friday from the medtech that organic year-over-year revenue growth may reach 60% this quarter impressed some analysts, many of whom see capitalization in the COVID-19 environment being sustainable.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 14, 2020

Thermo Fisher hikes growth forecast, expects COVID-19 sales to top $3B in late 2020

The company forecasts significantly higher growth this year than it's posted in the past, despite suffering a slow first quarter due to early disruption from the pandemic.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 11, 2020

Quest raises 2020 revenue outlook to beat pre-coronavirus goal by 10%

Despite worries that summer coronavirus hotspots could reverse the recovery for routine testing, the lab network said base volumes grew faster than expected through August.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 10, 2020

BD says its antigen test on par with Quidel's in head-to-head preprint study

The state of Maryland announced Thursday it bought 250,000 of the BD tests, which the company contends have shown equivalent performance to Quidel's despite a difference in earlier published sensitivity claims.

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 10, 2020

LabCorp, DiaSorin tests differentiate COVID-19, flu, RSV

The companies join test developers including Roche, Qiagen, BioFire Diagnostics and Novacyt in preparing combination tests to tackle the challenges of the upcoming influenza season.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 9, 2020

Grail files for $100M IPO ahead of 2021 launch of multi-cancer liquid biopsy

The Illumina spinout contends its Galleri test could avert 39% of deaths from cancers that would otherwise kill within five years, but acknowledges the challenge of getting payer support for asymptomatic screening.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 9, 2020

Roche COVID-19, flu combo test gets FDA emergency authorization

It is the fourth EUA for a diagnostic that detects and differentiates the viruses. However, the company claims to be the first commercial test that runs on fully automated high-throughput systems using a single sample.

By Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 4, 2020

NIH awards $129M to scale up US COVID-19 testing capacity

Illumina, Sonic Healthcare and PathGroup are among recipients of the funds with a goal to handle 454,000 tests a day. However, the country needs millions more daily tests above current levels. 

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 3, 2020

Final inpatient payment rule confirms price transparency push

The American Hospital Association quickly criticized the CMS decision to move forward with collecting data on hospital median payer-specific negotiated charges to guide relative Medicare payment rates.

By Hailey Mensik • Updated Sept. 3, 2020