Quest Begins Offering Internally Developed Monkeypox Test

Original from: 360DX

Quest Diagnostics said Wednesday that it has internally developed a test for monkeypox and launched it, while it also plans to begin offering the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's monkeypox test next month.

Quest said that it believes its monkeypox assay, an automated dual-target PCR test, is the first test developed and offered by a national laboratory for the disease. The company is performing the test out of its advanced laboratory in San Juan Capistrano, California.

The company said it expects to be able to perform roughly 30,000 tests per week by the end of July and will expand capacity across its other advanced laboratories if demand requires it.

The test will be available at a later date in New York state, pending the New York Department of Health's review.

Quest is also validating the CDC monkeypox test and plans to begin offering that assay in the first half of August. In June it was named as one of five labs selected by the CDC to expand the nation's monkeypox testing capacity using the CDC test.

"The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of broad access to quality laboratory testing for emerging infectious diseases," Ruth Clements, VP and general manager of infectious disease at Quest, said in a statement. "Quest's laboratory developed test complements the CDC test, supporting the public effort with an automated test option for the monkeypox virus."

Source: Quest Begins Offering Internally Developed Monkeypox Test