Guidelines for self-antigen test kits use to be released this week —DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) may release guidelines on using self-administered antigen COVID-19 test kits as early as Thursday, an official said Wednesday. 

“Meron tayong policy na ilalabas na po natin (we have a policy that we will issue), maybe tomorrow or Friday, that will state the guidelines,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ANC.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved

Vergeire advised the public to carefully follow the instructions on the label.

“You can use it at home, but you need to follow carefully the instructions kasi merong technical process diyan kung saan kokolekta kayo ng specimen sa sarili niyo. Kailangan tama,” she said.

(You can use it at home, but you need to follow carefully the instruction because there is a technical process where you will collect your specimen. It has to be correct.)

Meanwhile, she said the guidelines will include instructions on reporting results to local government units, which will then report to the DOH.

At present, there is no suggested retail price yet for antigen test kits.

“The basic process for us to have this would be when it’s out in the market. We’d get price ranges from the different outlets or license outlets, and then we try to analyze and work with the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] to work a price cap,” the DOH official said.

Vergeire added that the agency may need one to two weeks to study the price range before issuing a price cap.

Malacañang on Tuesday said there are at least 31 manufacturers of antigen COVID-19 self-test kits waiting for approval from the FDA.

Meanwhile, the undersecretary also said the DOH is drafting a policy seeking to make COVID-19 drugs available at retailers.

“Actually, we have this new policy that we are drafting right now, if we can be able to open access to this drug even through retailers,” Vergeire said.

“But of course, there are certain provisions ngayon ng batas na medyo restricted ang FDA to allow us kasi mga EUA [emergency use authorization] at saka mga CSP [compassionate special permit] pa lang ang gamot na ito,” she added. —KG, GMA News