Diagnostics firm Labcorp weighs ramping up mpox testing capacity
Adds details on other tests from paragraph 6
By Sneha S K
Aug 26 (Reuters) -Diagnostics firm Labcorp LH.N said it is working with U.S. health regulators to determine if it needed to ramp up its mpox testing capacity, as countries outside Africa detect a new type of the virus for the first time.
The company is processing approximately 500 mpox tests a month but can scale up to around 25,000 if needed, Marcia Eisenberg, Labcorp's chief scientific officer, told Reuters in an emailed statement.
A new form of the virus has triggered global concern as it seems to spread easily though routine close contact, prompting the World Health Organization to declare mpox a global public health emergency this month.
Since then, Sweden and Thailand have confirmed cases of the clade Ib type of the virus, outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries.
Labcorp makes a PCR test to detect mpox. It recently gained U.S. clearance for a home collection kit that it said doctors could soon order for patients 18 years or older who are suspected of mpox infection.
Other companies such as Roche ROG.S have said they were working to enhance laboratory testing capacity for mpox worldwide.
Roche, in an emailed statement, said it continues to monitor the situation to assess testing needs and said its production capacities "are designed to meet fluctuating global demand".
The Swiss company said it was working with regulators in Africa on their response plans.
"We are working together to assess how to leverage existing HIV program infrastructure to integrate testing into more disease areas, including mpox," Roche said.
U.S. laboratory operator Quest Diagnostics DGX.N also offers a mpox test, while Abbott Laboratories ABT.N makes the Alinity m test kit, which is authorized for U.S. emergency use for mpox.
FACTBOX-Countries with confirmed cases of new mpox variant nL4N3KA13H
EXPLAINER-Why is mpox an emergency again, and how worried should I be? nL1N3K308S
Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Krishna Chandra Eluri
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
