Even More Federal Support for COVID-19 Testing Manufacturers

The HHS is investing more than $560 million to help with the increased demand for COVID-19 tests.

Omar Ford

October 25, 2021

2 Min Read
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COVID-19 testing manufacturers could get a boost thanks to the Department of Health and Human Services’ latest investment.

The federal agency is doling out more than $560 million to a dozen companies, as part of the American Rescue Plan, to boost manufacturing of key products needed to increase domestic testing supply.

Here are the companies that have won awards from HHS.

  • OraSure Technologies Inc. was awarded $109 million to retrofit a production facility and a new additional facility with machinery to increase domestic manufacturing capability of rapid antigen self-tests for home care testing.

  • CSP Technologies was awarded $19.27 million to scale up production capacity of Activ-Film  – an essential piece of protective packaging that ensures test integrity.

  • Cepheid was awarded $63.8 million contract to expand domestic production capacity of plastic overmold – an essential material for rapid test kits.

  • Nalge Nunc International Corporation, a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific was awarded $192.5 million to increase domestic manufacturing of pipette tips used for COVID-19 sample collection and test processing.

  • Porex Corporation was awarded $16.2 million to increase production capacity of pipette tip filters that prevent specimen contamination.

  • US Cotton was awarded $6.5 million to increase domestic production capacity of the polyester-tipped swabs used in COVID-19 home test kits and mass testing settings.

  • Eurofins Genomics was awarded $30 million to expand production capacity for the manufacturing of components used to test clinical specimens for the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

  • Steripack was awarded $14.7 million to kick start domestic production capability of collection vials used for nasal swab tests.

  • Mettler-Toledo Rainin was awarded $35.8 million to increase domestic production capacity of pipette tips for testing of collected samples and other critical diagnostic activities.

  • Qiagen Beverly, Inc and Qiagen Sciences LLC were awarded $4 million to expand manufacturing capacity of reagents and reagent kits used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in collected samples and essential for COVID-19 testing and diagnostics. This will directly support the expansion of domestic molecular laboratory testing for COVID-19.

  • Princeton BioMeditech Corp was awarded $9.9 million to expand production capacity of COVID-19 testing and diagnostic kits.

  • Luminostics was awarded $2 million to increase domestic production capacity of Clip COVID-19 Point-of-Care test kits.

  • Labcon North America was awarded $59.3 million to increase domestic production capacity of pipette tips and tubes that are essential for COVID-19 testing and diagnostic activities.

President Joe Biden introduced mandates in September that would cause the demand for tests to soar.  The mandates would require companies with more than 100 employees to have these workers vaccinated or tested for the virus weekly. The sweeping mandates could impact more than 80 million people in the U.S.

To help with this demand, President Biden authorized $2 billion to ensure tests are available to those who need them. In October, the Biden Administration doled out an additional $1 billion to help with the soaring demand for COVID-19 tests.

 

 

About the Author

Omar Ford

Omar Ford is a veteran reporter in the field of medical technology and healthcare journalism. As Editor-in-Chief of MD+DI (Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry), a leading publication in the industry, Ford has established himself as an authoritative voice and a trusted source of information.

Ford, who has a bachelor's degree in print journalism from the University of South Carolina, has dedicated his career to reporting on the latest advancements and trends in the medical device and diagnostic sector.

During his tenure at MD+DI, Ford has covered a wide range of topics, including emerging medical technologies, regulatory developments, market trends, and the rise of artificial intelligence. He has interviewed influential leaders and key opinion leaders in the field, providing readers with valuable perspectives and expert analysis.

 

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