Lucira Health, Inc., a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative and innovative infectious disease test kits, announced a new agreement with Switch Health Solutions Inc. ("Switch Health") to increase Canadians' access to at-home molecular COVID-19 tests as Omicron cases surge. Lucira will provide more than 2 million at-home COVID-19 test kits in 2022 as part of the deal.
"As Omicron cases surge around the world, the need for better testing solutions has never been more apparent. Only Lucira's tests provide a PCR-quality test result in 30 minutes, wherever you are, from a simple, single-use kit. Making these tests more available is critical to help slow the spread of COVID-19."
Erik Engelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lucira
Switch Health is a Canadian healthcare company dedicated to providing better decentralized patient care. Switch Health has quickly become a leader in COVID-19 testing on-site at its Switch Health Clinics and at-home through its remote telehealth service and in-person visits.
"Switch Health's ability to be a Canadian health care leader in decentralized diagnostics is in large part due to the innovative technologies we make available to everyday Canadians," added Marc Thomson, Chief Operating Officer at Switch Health. "Lucira has been an instrumental partner in helping Switch Health achieve that in the COVID-19 era. Together, we are removing barriers to get Canadians safely back to work and reunited with their loved ones."
Last month, Lucira announced confirmation that its COVID-19 Check-It (OTC) and All-In-One (Rx) molecular self-test kits' can detect 100% of Omicron variant genome sequences analyzed, including the "stealth variant." Lucira assays target viral sequence regions unaffected by the spike protein mutations found in Omicron, Delta, and other variants of concern, allowing it to maintain its accuracy in the face of an evolving virus.
Lucira has received Interim Order authorization from Health Canada to sell and distribute its COVID-19 test kits for at-home self-testing in Canada.
LUCIRA™ CHECK IT Test Kit
The Lucira™ Check-It (OTC) and All-in-One (Rx) test kits are Nucleic-Acid Amplification Tests (referred to as NAAT). The tests fit in the palm of your hand, extract genetic material from the virus and amplify it, similar to PCR lab tests, to detect the presence of virus earlier and more accurately than antigen tests. The test uses an approach called reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). It was designed and tested extensively for individuals to use independently and does not require a physician's prescription or supervised assistance. There is no additional equipment to purchase, such as a reader or instrument.
Each Lucira test kit contains everything needed to run one COVID-19 test. Users get the test device, two AA batteries, sample vial, swab and simple instructions. The batteries are inserted into the device and the sample vial is placed in the test unit. The user then opens the test swab packet and rotates the swab five times in each nostril. The swab is then stirred in the sample vial, which is then gently pressed into the test unit to start the test. The "ready" light will blink until a "positive" or "negative" green light is illuminated within 30 minutes. In the US, Lucira also offers a free LUCI Pass™ digital verified test result back to a user's phone. LUCI Pass is accessed via text and does not require downloading an app. There is also an opt-in for public health reporting for users who wish to transmit their results to the relevant public health authorities.
In clinical trials, 100% of users successfully performed the test at home in about two minutes using Lucira's easy-to-use 'swab, stir and detect' Check-It test kit.
In a Community Trial setting, Lucira™ Check-It results were compared with the Hologic Panther Fusion, considered a high-sensitivity molecular test due to its low Limit of Detection ("LOD"). Lucira's accuracy was 98%, correctly detecting 385 out of 394 positive and negative samples in comparison to the Hologic Panther Fusion, excluding ten samples with very low levels of virus (those with very high PCR cycle thresholds of 37.5 or greater) that possibly no longer represented active infection. Comparative positive results agreed 97% of the time among this sample, and negative results agreed 98% of the time.
About Lucira Health
Lucira is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative and innovative infectious disease test kits. Lucira's testing platform produces lab quality molecular testing in a single-use, consumer-friendly, palm-size test kit powered by two AA batteries. Lucira designed its test kits to provide accurate, reliable, and on-the-spot molecular test results anywhere and at any time. The Lucira™ Check-It COVID-19 Test Kit (OTC) and Lucira™ COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit (Rx) are designed to provide a clinically relevant COVID-19 result within 30 minutes from sample collection.