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Stada to Launch Rapid Ebola Test Next Month

February 9, 2015

Stadapharm said Monday it will launch an Ebola rapid test next month that can detect advanced-stage infections within minutes. The test was developed and is being produced by Weimar, Germany-based Senova.

The test, which is intended solely for use by medical professionals, yields results based on pretreated patient blood samples in about 10 minutes, speeding up and simplifying quarantine management in areas experiencing an Ebola outbreak, said Lothar Guske, managing director of Stada.

Senova validated the reliability of the test using hundreds of real specimens in Guinea and notes that a key area for using it will be examining deceased Ebola victims.

“The viral load in people who have died of Ebola is so high that even a mere throat swab is sufficient to perform the rapid test,” said Senova owner Hans Hermann Söffing. “Since many people become infected through contact with the dead, isolation can be carried out extremely quickly in the event of a positive test result,” he added.

The test will be available to aid organizations at the price of $3.66 per test, which covers its costs, the companies said. — Kellen Owings