8 self-antigen test kits approved by FDA

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a total of eight self-administered COVID-19 antigen test kits, an official announced Wednesday.

According to FDA director general Oscar Gutierrez, two of these use oral fluid or saliva as specimens while the remaining use nasal swab.

Gutierrez said the JusChek COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Cassette that uses oral is manufactured by Hangzhou but is distributed or imported by two different companies.

"So posible po 'yun, inaaprubahan po ng FDA na dalawa po ang distributor," Gutierrez said at the Talk to the People.

(So that's possible. The FDA approves two distributors.)

Meanwhile, Abbot's Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test is distributed or imported by three different companies.

Other kits include Labnovation's SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test kits, Getein's One Step test for SARS-CoV-2 Antigen kits, and SD's SARS-CoV-2 Self-test.

The Department of Health has said that self-test kits are recommended only for symptomatic individuals within seven days from the onset of symptoms.

It stressed that this is recommended, "especially if the capacity for timely RT-PCR results is limited or not available." — RSJ, GMA News