|Articles|May 2, 2020

FDA Issues Emergency Authorizations for Antibody Test and NASA Ventilator

Here is a look at infectious disease-related US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) news from the week of April 26, 2020.

New Total COVID-19 Antibody Test Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization

The FDA has granted Bio-Rad Laboratories Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the company’s severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Total Ab test. This test is the first total antibody test that has received an EUA from the FDA.

The blood-based immunoassay test will be able to help clinicians identify whether an individual has antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The test will be available for use both manually or on an automated immunoassay platform.

Read the full article.

FDA Authorizes NASA Developed Ventilator for COVID-19

The FDA has added a ventilator developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the list of authorized ventilators under the FDA’s ventilator emergency use authorization.

The original emergency use authorization was issued out of concern related to an insufficient supply of FDA-approved ventilators for use in health care settings during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Read the full article.


Related to this article

FAQ: Ebola Prevention, Treatment and the Chances of a US Outbreak
As the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo surpasses 9300 confirmed cases and 4400 deaths, this FAQ explains how the virus spreads, how it presents, why it is hard to diagnose and treat, which vaccines and therapies are being tested, and why CDC considers the risk to the United States low.
Measles Update: October 16, 2026
The latest CDC numbers show an 8.1% increase in measles cases from week-to-week, bringing the 2026 US total to 4410 confirmed cases. A CDC disease detective is going to Pennsylvania to aid in the state's massive outbreak, and the agency reports on a rare measles complication that is uniformly fatal.
FAQ: What You Need to Know About West Nile Virus in 2026
After 2 adults died of West Nile virus in central North Carolina this month, this FAQ explains how the mosquito-borne virus spreads, who faces the greatest risk of severe neuroinvasive disease, and how clinicians can diagnose, manage, and help prevent infection when no vaccine or antiviral treatment exists.