F.D.A. Halts Coronavirus Testing Program Backed by Bill Gates - The New York Times

F.D.A. Halts Coronavirus Testing Program Backed by Bill Gates - The New York Times

FDA shuts down Gates-backed home testing

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shut down a coronavirus at-home testing programme sponsored by Bill Gates. The programme, called the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network, had already collected thousands of samples and identified dozens of new cases. The FDA had assumed the tests were being used as a ‘surveillance’ research tool, and objected to the fact that test-takers were being informed of the results. The agency now claims the tests must be regarded as ‘diagnostics’, which require tighter regulations. Others think it is a bureaucratic obstacle to a valuable programme. “To withhold that information from people is downright absurd,” says Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. (New York Times | 5 min read)