SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL) (“Quidel”), a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems, announced today that Quidel has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its QuickVue® SARS Antigen test, a point-of-care assay for the rapid, qualitative detection of the nucleocapsid protein antigen from SARS-CoV-2 in anterior nares (NS) swab specimens directly from individuals who are suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider within the first five days of the onset of symptoms.
Quidel’s new QuickVue SARS Antigen test requires no supplemental instrumentation and is visually read. It offers excellent performance for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 (96.6% PPA versus PCR and 99.3% NPA versus PCR) in anterior nares swab samples, yielding results in just 10 minutes, thereby providing quick, reliable results to patients, their families and healthcare workers alike.
“We are proud to introduce yet another powerful diagnostic tool to aid the fight against COVID-19,” said Douglas Bryant, president and CEO of Quidel Corporation. “The QuickVue® rapid antigen test for coronavirus leverages our proven QuickVue® visually read diagnostic platform for influenza A+B to further democratize access to affordable and highly accurate COVID-19 testing across a diverse range of medical and point-of-care locations.”
“The flexibility of QuickVue® for meeting the urgent testing needs of everyone from school systems to rural areas and even locations without electricity gives us the opportunity to do enormous good in communities across our nation and the world,” Mr. Bryant noted. “We will scale immediately to supply the more than 30,000 QuickVue® professional market customers we serve today and look forward to extending the benefits of this technology as broadly and rapidly as possible in the months and years ahead.”
Quidel plans to reach a production run rate of 600 million QuickVue® tests per year by the end of 2021.
Background Information:
Quidel was the first company to receive EUA from the FDA for a rapid point-of-care antigen test for COVID-19 and remains at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Quidel developed the first visually read lateral flow flu test, the QuickVue® Influenza A/B Test, which received FDA approval in September of 1999. QuickVue® was also the first flu test cleared by the FDA for use in CLIA-Waived point-of-care facilities like doctors’ offices, urgent care clinics and pharmacies.
QuickVue® is a market leading platform for visually diagnosing Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Strep A and a variety of other illnesses. Since its approval in 1999, more than 150 million QuickVue® units have been sold.
Sofia® 2 is Quidel’s best-selling cartridge-based, instrument-read rapid diagnostic system for infectious disease testing, which utilizes fluorescent chemistry design, an intuitive graphical user interface, and optics system to provide a highly accurate, objective and automated result in 15 minutes. The Sofia® 2 system also comes connected to Virena®, Quidel’s data management system, which provides aggregated, de-identified testing data to public health authorities in near real-time.
Quidel recently doubled its production of Sofia® rapid antigen tests to the current rate of approximately two million tests per week. Quidel is building additional production lines that will more than double its current capacity once again. Quidel’s goal is to reach a run-rate of over 240 million Sofia® tests per year by the third quarter of 2021.
It is noteworthy that Quidel’s QuickVue® and Sofia® SARS Antigen test kits are made in San Diego, California.
About Quidel Corporation
Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, delivering a continuum of rapid testing technologies that further improve the quality of health care throughout the globe. An innovator for over 40 years in the medical device industry, Quidel pioneered the first FDA-cleared point-of-care test for influenza in 1999 and was the first to market a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the U.S. Under trusted brand names Sofia®, Solana®, Lyra®, Triage® and QuickVue®, Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19. With products made in America, Quidel’s mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve material risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many possible events or factors could affect our future financial results and performance, such that our actual results and performance may differ materially from those that may be described or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Differences in actual results and performance may arise as a result of a number of factors including, without limitation: the impact and duration of the novel virus (COVID-19) global pandemic; funding and compliance risks relating to government contracts, including the ability to meet key deliverables and milestones under our NIH RADx-ATP contract; our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products and products in development, including in new market segments; adverse changes in competitive conditions, the reimbursement system currently in place and future changes to that system, changes in economic conditions in our domestic and international markets, lower than anticipated market penetration of our products, our reliance on sales of our influenza and COVID-19 diagnostic tests, fluctuations in our operating results resulting from the timing of the onset, length and severity of cold and flu seasons, seasonality, government and media attention focused on influenza and other respiratory or novel viruses and the related potential impact on humans from such viruses, the quantity of our product in our distributors’ inventory or distribution channels, changes in the buying patterns of our distributors, and changes in the healthcare market and consolidation of our customer base; our development, acquisition and protection of proprietary technology rights; our ability to develop new technologies, products and markets and to commercialize new products; our reliance on a limited number of key distributors; our exposure to claims and litigation that could result in significant expenses and could ultimately result in an unfavorable outcome for us, including the ongoing litigation between us and Beckman Coulter, Inc.; intellectual property risks, including but not limited to, infringement litigation; our ability to finance our capital or operating needs; the financial soundness of our customers and suppliers; acceptance of our products among physicians and other healthcare providers; competition from other providers of diagnostic products; failures or delays in receipt of new product reviews or related to currently-marketed products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or other regulatory authorities or loss of any previously received regulatory approvals or clearances or other adverse actions by regulatory authorities; changes in government policies; costs of and adverse operational impact from failure to comply with government regulations in addition to FDA regulations; compliance with government regulations relating to the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances; third-party reimbursement policies and potential cost constraints; our failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to billing and payment for healthcare services; our ability to meet demand for our products; interruptions or shortages in our supply of raw materials and other components; product defects; business risks not covered by insurance; costs and disruptions from failures in our information technology and storage systems; our exposure to data corruption, cyber-based attacks, security breaches and privacy violations; competition for and loss of management and key personnel; international risks, including but not limited to, compliance with product registration requirements, compliance with legal requirements, tariffs, exposure to currency exchange fluctuations and foreign currency exchange risk, longer payment cycles, lower selling prices and greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable, reduced protection of intellectual property rights, social, political and economic instability, increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities, taxes, and diversion of lower priced international products into U.S. markets; changes in tax rates and exposure to additional tax liabilities or assessments; our ability to identify and successfully acquire and integrate potential acquisition targets; our ability to manage our growth strategy and identify and integrate acquired companies or technologies and our ability to obtain financing; the level of our deferred payment obligations; that our Revolving Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our assets; the agreements for our indebtedness place operating and financial restrictions on us and our ability to operate our business; that an event of default could trigger acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness; that we may incur additional indebtedness; dilution resulting from future sales of our equity; volatility in our stock price; provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law that might delay or impede stockholder actions with respect to business combinations or similar transactions; and our intention of not paying dividends. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “might,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend,” “goal,” “project,” “strategy,” “future,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. The risks described in reports and registration statements that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, should be carefully considered. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly release any revision or update of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
