Digital diagnostics company Ellume announced a $231.8 million agreement with the US government to deliver 8.5 million Covid-19 home tests to support the the country’s pandemic response.
The Ellume Covid-19 Home Test is the first rapid self-test for Covid-19 detection authorised by the US FDA for both asymptomatic and symptomatic use without a prescription. With the CDC reporting that at least 50% of Covid-19 cases are transmitted asymptomatically, Ellume’s test will play a crucial role as the only diagnostic tool authorised for non-prescription use as a screening tool in the US.
“Our focus is enabling the US to minimize community transmission and reopen as quickly as possible. The Ellume Covid-19 Home Test is the only authorised test of its kind and is an essential tool for the broader pandemic response in the US” says Ellume founder and CEO, Dr Sean Parsons.
“We are prioritising our partnership with the US government to mobilise tests quickly and in the most impactful way. We will fulfill the order for these tests at the same time as we ramp up the output across our production facilities, creating more possibilities for retail and private institution use in the future,” says Dr Parsons.
The agreement includes funding to support the establishment of Ellume’s US-based manufacturing facility and the delivery of 8.5 million Covid-19 home tests that will be distributed across the US in accordance with the National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness plan.
This US-based manufacturing capacity builds upon Ellume’s existing Australian production capacity which is on-track to procure approximately 200,000 tests per day this quarter. Under the agreement, Ellume will be delivering 100,000 tests per month from the Australian manufacturing facility until the US facility is built. At full capacity, the US facility will be able to produce up to 19 million tests per month.
