First Widely Available Zika Test OK'd for Emergency Use
A medical researcher uses a monitor that shows the results of blood tests for various diseases, including Zika, at the Gorgas Memorial laboratory in Panama City on Feb. 4, 2016. On April 28, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Quest Diagnostics to offer the first commercial test for the Zika virus in the United States. Previously, Zika tests were only available through a handful of government-designated laboratories. Quest said the commercial test could be available as early as the first week of May. AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco
WASHINGTON—The first commercial test for the Zika virus has been cleared for emergency use in the U.S. and could be available by next week.
The Food and Drug Administration granted the authorization Thursday to the test’s developer, Quest Diagnostics, which said it would make it widely available to doctors for patient testing.
The company said the test results will initially be processed at a laboratory in San Juan Capistrano, California, which developed and validated the technology.
