Quest Diagnostics Inc. Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Baxter, 3M, Abbott near the top of Newsweeks’ most reponsible companies list

Several medtech, healthcare and life sciences companies, including big names like Abbott (NYSE:ABT), 3M (NYSE:MMM) and Baxter (NYSE:BAX), are among the 500 “most responsible,” according to Newsweek.

The outlet published its “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022” list, marking the third installment of the compilation (in partnership with Statista), this time expanded to include 500 of the largest public corporations around. Companies were judged with an overall score out of 100 that combined environmental, social and corporate governance performance assessments.

Baxter, 3M, Abbott and BD (NYSE:BDX) were among the highest-ranking big-name medical device makers. Cancer diagnostic company Illumina was the highest-ranking company under the healthcare and life sciences umbrella, sitting in second behind HP.

In sixth sat Baxter, registering an overall score of 89.5 points, with its highest performance coming in environmental i…

Grail, Quest Diagnostics to collaborate on Galleri multi-cancer early detection blood test

Grail announced that it entered into an agreement with Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) to collaborate on Grail’s Galleri multi-cancer blood test.

Quest Diagnostics is slated to provide phlebotomy services in support of the Galleri multi-cancer early detection blood test, according to a news release.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based Grail completed enrollment for the Pathfinder prospective study of Galleri in clinical practice in December 2020. The 6,600-participant, multi-site, international study under an FDA investigational device exemption application has already completed its second planned independent data and safety monitoring board review and will have initial results, plus additional clinical validation data from a separate study, available in the first half of this year.

The company announced just last month that, following completed enrollment, it expects to introduce Galleri in the second quarter of this year. The blood test will be prescription on…

Hologic applies for pooled COVID-19 testing nod

Hologic (NSDQ:HOLX) announced today that it has self-validated use of its Aptima and Panther Fusion molecular diagnostic COVID-19 assays with pooled patient samples and applied for an FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for pooled testing.

Marlborough, Mass.-based Hologic is the third major company to announce it is seeking such authorization. Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) gained a pooled-sample testing EUA in July, as did LabCorp, in an EUA reauthorization. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, started publicly discussing the testing method in June.

The FDA is touting pooled-sample testing as more efficient than individual tests, meaning fewer testing supplies are used and more tests can be run at the same time, allowing patients to receive their results more quickly in most cases. Pooled testing is most efficient in areas with low prevalence, meaning most results are expected to be negative, according to the agency.

Qu…

New Quest lab method gains FDA nod

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) announced that it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for a new laboratory technique for extracting viral RNA.

Secaucus, N.J.-based Quest Diagnostics’ new technique is designed to speed up the process of extracting viral RNA from specimens in an effort to expand daily capacity of COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests in the U.S., according to a news release.

Currently, Quest has the capacity to perform 135,000 COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests per day, but the new method is expected to add an additional 35,000 tests per day over the next several weeks, with specimen pooling set to increase capacity even more.

As a result, the company anticipates the ability to perform 150,000 tests per day by next week and hopes to reach 185,000 per day by Sept. 7. Quest expects average turnaround times of one day for “priority 1” patients and between two and three days for all other patients in the coming weeks.<…

LabCorp COVID-19 test may be used on asymptomatic people

The FDA on Friday added two new indications for the use of a Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE:LH) COVID-19 RT-PCR diagnostic: to test people who have no symptoms of the virus or have no reason to believe they’ve been exposed; and to allow pooled testing of up to five samples from different people.

The test, which received an emergency use authorization March 16, 2020, may now be used to screen people as they return to work and school. The company provided scientific data showing that the test is as accurate in the broader asymptomatic population as it is among people suspected to have COVID-19, according to the FDA.

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Quest COVID-19 test wins FDA nod for pooled sampling

The FDA has authorized a Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) test for COVID-19 to be used with pooled samples — the first such authorization by the agency since Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, started publicly discussing pooled-sample testing about three weeks ago.

The authorization, announced Saturday, permits the pooled testing of up to four individual swab specimens. If the pooled sample tests positive, each patient’s sample will be tested individually. The FDA is touting pooled-sample testing as more efficient than individual tests, meaning fewer testing supplies are used and more tests can be run at the same time, allowing patients to receive their results more quickly in most cases. Pooled testing is most efficient in areas with low prevalence, meaning most results are expected to be negative, according to the agency.

Quest’s SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR landed the first EUA for pooled testing as part of a reissued…

Quest lands FDA nod for at-home COVID-19 test

(Image from Quest Diagnostics)

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) has received an FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for an at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19.

The Secaucus, N.J.-based testing giant said the test kit is for individuals to self-collect a nasal specimen at home or in a healthcare setting when determined to be appropriate by a healthcare provider. It allows an individual to swab the front part of the nostril and may be used on children (supervised by an adult) as well as adults. Specimens are shipped overnight via FedEx at room temperature and patients can obtain results through the myQuest patient portal and mobile app. Quest said it will report test data to the relevant departments of health as required.

Specimens collected using the kit may be tested with the Quest Diagnostics SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test that received an EUA in March. RT-PCR testing aids in diagnosing infection with SARS-Co…