Rapid avian flu test gains FDA go-ahead
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA clears biopharmaceutical firm Arbor Vita Corporation's AVantage A/H5N1 rapid avian flu test April 7. AVantage detects a protein that indicates the presence of the A/H5N1 influenza virus subtype, which has caused the largest number of detected cases of serious influenza infections in humans. The test takes about 40 minutes and involves a throat or nose swab collected from patients with flu-like symptoms. Previous tests for the virus subtype took three to four hours, FDA notes. Arbor Vita plans to launch the test by the end of September