Biden Administration invests $650 million in rapid diagnostic testing

Photo: Marjo Geber/Getty Images

In a bid to increase access to COVID-19 testing and bolster domestic manufacturing of the tests, President Joe Biden's administration, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will invest $650 million from the American Rescue Plan to strengthen manufacturing capacity for quick diagnostic testing through rapid point-of-care molecular tests.

According to the Biden Administration, as at-home testing increases, the need for follow-up testing in healthcare settings will likely grow. For example, if someone buys an over-the-counter rapid antigen test at their local pharmacy to take at home and tests positive, they may seek out a healthcare provider who would conduct another test to confirm that result. 

The new investment is intended to ensure those types of tests are readily available throughout the country and can provide results quickly.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

Hospitals, urgent care centers, pharmacies and other community healthcare settings use rapid molecular tests to diagnose COVID-19, screen patients before surgery without unnecessary delays, identify people who may benefit from COVID-19 therapies and confirm at-home test results.

To support access to this type of diagnostic testing, HHS will use these funds to ramp up U.S. domestic manufacturing capacity. The idea is that by strengthening the ability to produce the tests within the U.S., the reliance on overseas imports will be reduced, allowing the country to sustain robust long-term manufacturing throughout 2022.

The funding will also support purchasing raw materials and finished tests to increase the domestic supply of diagnostic tests.

The initiative is part of a broader administration effort to boost testing manufacturing and availability, and comes on the heels of an announced $3 billion investment in rapid testing. Ultimately, the goal is to grow the supply of rapid tests and to quadruple the supply of at-home tests by the end of the year.

HHS also recently announced a series of actions to help reduce costs, make tests more available and support bringing more over-the-counter tests to market in the U.S.

THE LARGER TREND

Aside from the vaccination push, which the administration and scientific community believes is the best method of preventing the spread of COVID-19, fast and frequent testing for the virus is seen as an important mitigation measure and has long been a focus of the Biden White House.

In July, for example, HHS said it would invest more than $1.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan to support testing and mitigation measures in "high-risk congregate settings." This is intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and detect and stem potential outbreaks.

The move came as COVID-19 cases have surged primarily among unvaccinated individuals, with the more transmissible Delta variant posing a high risk of infection.

Coronavirus tests are even making their way onto store shelves. In April, CVS Pharmacy, the retail arm of CVS Health, made three over-the-counter testing options available in its physical and virtual stores. Two deliver test results in 15 minutes. All three are tests that a consumer can conduct at home.

ON THE RECORD

"Access to fast, accurate and reliable tests help keep Americans safe and healthy," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we are increasing our testing supply, investing in American manufacturers and continuing to support these critical tools for getting the pandemic under control."
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com