FDA still studying rapid test kits for COVID-19

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines is still studying the use of rapid test kits for the detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), FDA director-general Eric Domingo said on Friday.

"We are still evaluating the applications," Domingo told GMA News Online.

The health authorities in the country are currently using the PCR-based test kits that require laboratory processes as these specifically detect the specific coronavirus strain in the samples and not just the presence of antibodies.

Rapid test kits, on the other hand, produce instant results and do not require the rigorous laboratory process which has 24- to 48-hour turnaround time.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said these "do-it-yourself" test kits may be of great help if used for symptomatic and high-risk patients.

"The rapid test kit will identify the positives early so that they can be isolated to prevent infection spread," Lacson said.

"Such kits donated from abroad - and even those purchased by local businessmen who will or have donated the same to local government units to help achieve mass testing - should be given some leeway, as long as authorities properly supervise or at least give enough information about their use and usefulness," he added.

Some international reports, however, claim that rapid test kits from China produced "false" results in Spain and Czech Republic.

Its error rate allegedly ranged from 70 to 80 percent and health authorities in the said countries also suggest that the PCR test remains to be the most appropriate method for detecting early-stage infection.

Domingo, nevertheless, clarified that the 100,000 test kits recently donated by the Chinese government to the Philippines last week were PCR-based and not rapid test kits. -NB, GMA News