|Articles|September 30, 2020

FDA Authorizes First Saline Oral Rinse Collection Test for COVID-19

The test provides qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in oral saline rinse specimens, nasopharyngeal swab, and nasal swab specimens in a universal transport media, as well as nasal swabs collected in oral saline rinse.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the OraRisk COVID-19 RT-PCR test, allowing for users of the device to be tested for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) via saline oral rinse collection.

With the amended indication, the OralDNA Labs product becomes the first device with an EUA for a saline 30-second swish and gargle collection, eliminating need for nasal swab and saliva direct testing.

According to the company, the samples are viable for up to 72 hours, and no longer require cold pack transportation.

The test provides qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in oral saline rinse specimens, nasopharyngeal swab, and nasal swab specimens in a universal transport media, as well as nasal swabs collected in oral saline rinse. The test is designed for collection conducted by healthcare providers.

George Hoedeman, chief executive officer of OralDNA Labs, suggested oral rinse collection could be a “game-changer” in COVID-19 testing.

"A 30-second convenient collection without a nasal swab will improve patient comfort, minimize exposure risk to frontline healthcare professionals, shorten collection time, and avoid supply chain bottlenecks,” Hoedeman said. “These improvements, along with our exceptional turnaround times generally being shorter than our advertised 24-48 hours from sample receipt, will allow for an overall enhanced testing experience."


Related to this article

New Diagnositics for Legionella Pneumonia May Streamline Care Continuum
Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been on the rise for the past decade, and identifying Legionella bacteria requires specialized testing in the microbiology lab. Here is a clinical overview of Legionella bacteria, including required testing, treatment, and reporting to public health officials.
REMAP-CAP and the Tamiflu “Pre-Release”: A Set-Up for Disaster
Preliminary REMAP-CAP data suggesting oseltamivir may increase mortality in critically ill ICU influenza patients has sparked polarized reactions, but clinicians should await the full peer-reviewed manuscript before drawing broad conclusions, since the signal comes from a narrow, severely ill population and may reflect a therapeutic window effect rather than a blanket lack of efficacy.