Quest Diagnostics Launches COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test with Observed Collection for Consumers Through QuestDirect™

SECAUCUS, N.J. and MIAMI, Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced the availability of an at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen test service for consumer purchase, available through QuestDirect™, the company’s consumer-initiated testing platform. Through a collaboration with eMed™, the new service features proctored telehealth by which a trained technician observes proper sample collection, confirms identity, and certifies results reporting during a telehealth visit.

The offering enables the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test, a self-administered nasal swab antigen test that provides results in 15 minutes, to be used under observation from a certified telehealth proctor so that the user receives a laboratory report through eMed. The report may be used for international travel, leisure activities, verification of positive results to enable prescription treatment by a physician, and for return to work or school programs as proctored COVID-19 tests are required in some settings*, including under current CDC guidelines for international travelers coming to the U.S. Each test comes with certified telehealth proctoring already enabled for use 24/7, anywhere in the world. Adults and children aged four and up may use the test. Each test kit contains a two-pack of tests for $70 available for purchase through QuestDirect.

Quest is collaborating with digital health company Truepill for order fulfillment and delivery. Leveraging Truepill’s API-connected digital health platform and nationwide pharmacy footprint, customers can expect to receive test kits within two to three business days of purchasing.

“Consumers and employers seek reliable, fast and easy testing solutions to help limit exposure to COVID-19 and ensure safer traveling and return to work. This QuestDirect offering complements our molecular laboratory testing services to increase access, convenience and flexibility to diagnostic insights,” said Cathy Doherty, Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Clinical Franchise Solutions and Marketing, Quest Diagnostics. “As a leader in the nation’s COVID-19 testing response, Quest Diagnostics is continually looking to broaden access to quality COVID-19 diagnostic insights, and this collaboration with eMed expands our ability to help individuals across the U.S. meet the challenge of COVID-19.”

A Solution for Small Employers
The COVID-19 At-Home Rapid Antigen Tests are also available for bulk purchase of up to 1,000 kits at a time through QuestDirect to qualified purchasers, making them a solution for employers seeking to encourage compliance and foster safer environments by limiting the risk of COVID-19 exposure in their workplaces.

This new QuestDirect solution expands upon a collaboration between Quest Diagnostics and eMed launched in August 2021 to bring proctored rapid antigen COVID-19 testing to larger employers seeking to decrease the risk of COVID-19 exposure in their workplaces. Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of employer population health and workplace drug testing services, serving thousands of employers across the United States, with services ranging from lab and biometric screening to behavioral and mental health interventions to telehealth, virtual care, and flu clinics.

“The eMed digital point-of-care platform for verified COVID-19 testing and results reporting continues to be an innovative solution in the health testing and diagnostic services space both for COVID testing and future distributed diagnostic testing needs,” said Michael Mina, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, eMed. “We are excited to build upon our relationship with an industry leader like Quest Diagnostics, which allows us to expand our reach and increase accessibility to COVID-19 testing services, an important factor in mitigating COVID-19’s impact as variants continue to emerge.”

*Individuals considering using this test for travel or other uses such as concerts, plays, or sporting events, are encouraged to check with their airline, destination country, cruise line, or event to get their specific testing requirements. That includes confirming whether they accept the results of a rapid antigen test such as this one, or if they require a molecular test (e.g., PCR) and other requirements. This is not a molecular test.

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world’s largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors, and improve healthcare management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About eMed
eMed (www.eMed.com) makes it easier than ever to access healthcare solutions online. Our Digital Point-of-Care platform embraces data-driven care and is revolutionizing the healthcare industry with the first-of-its-kind at-home rapid testing solution. It’s convenient, guided, and accurate.

About Truepill
Truepill is the digital health platform connecting telehealth, diagnostics, and pharmacy to power the future of consumer healthcare. Founded in 2016 with a unique B2B model, the company’s expansive suite of customizable, direct-to-patient solutions includes access to an extensive telehealth provider network including licensed doctors, nurses and pharmacists serving all 50 states, an at-home lab testing network, nationwide prescription fulfillment and delivery, white label packaging, product design and more. With seven owned and operated pharmacies, Truepill accreditations include URAC accredited mail order pharmacy, URAC accredited specialty pharmacy, NABP and Digital Pharmacy Accreditation. Learn more at www.truepill.com.

• This product has not been FDA cleared or approved; but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA;
• This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS- CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and,
• This product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics