SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The FDA Wednesday gave emergency approval to a San Diego company's test for COVID-19 antibodies.
Easy Check, from Truvian Sciences, can test for COVID-19 antibodies in under 10 minutes.
"They've now given us the right to market the product and sell the product as a safe and effective solution for this type of testing," said Truvian President and CEO Jeff Hawkins.
The test uses a drop of blood on a testing strip. Within 10 minutes, it shows a marking on the strip that indicates if you have the antibodies or not.
Hawkins said these kinds of tests are vital to the future of the coronavirus pandemic.
"This type of testing, today, is helping us understand how many people had an infection," said Hawkins. "Over time, this type of testing may help us understand how long that vaccine is good for and how long you are protected.
He added, "Using these very deployable, simple tests to monitor this is one way we can track people over time and see how this evolves."
The Easy Check test went through independent testing by four separate laboratories. They found it is 99% accurate in detecting both the presence of the COVID-19 antibody and identifying it among other antibodies.
Right now, the test requires a full blood draw, but Truvian is working on a version of the test that only needs a finger prick.
Hawkins said his company will sell it to medical labs and offices for $15 per test, keeping it affordable for patients who want to take the test, although individual tests may cost more to help doctors and labs cover their costs.
"Our core mission as a company before COVID was to make testing more accessible and make testing less expensive," said Hawkins. "So this just fit with what we do and it was really about just picking the right technology."
