Thermo Fisher Scientific

The company said that as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, it saw a "significant reduction in customer activity" by late March.

The test is designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab specimens from individuals suspected of having COVID-19.

The panel can detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2 and 20 other pathogens known to cause serious respiratory disease from nasopharyngeal swabs in symptomatic patients.

Thermo Fisher plans to use the proceeds to pay in part for the acquisition of Qiagen, expected to close in the first half of 2021, and for general corporate purposes.

The test, which uses an Applied Bioystems TaqPath assay and real-time PCR technology, detects nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The company plans to use the net proceeds to pay in part for its anticipated acquisition of Qiagen, as well as for general corporate purposes.

In announcing a national emergency on Friday, Trump paraded out executives from the private sector as the administration tries to increase testing capacity

The test, authorized March 13, runs on the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Dx Real-Time PCR instrument and targets three regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

The panel will aid in the diagnosis of patients with respiratory symptoms in about an hour by differentiating SARS-CoV-2 from other bacterial and viral pathogens.

News items for the in vitro diagnostics industry for the week of March 2, 2020.