FDA OKs 2 brands of COVID-19 antigen self-test kits

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of two self-administered COVID-19 test kits, its head said Monday.

In a televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, FDA officer-in-charge Oscar Gutierrez said that the Abott Panbio and Labnovation Technologies antigen self-test kits have been issued special certification by the drug regulator.

Gutierrez urged the public to buy FDA-certified at-home test kits from licensed drugstores.

“The handling of test kits is important here. Good storage and good distribution practices must be observed,” he said in Filipino.

He added that consumers should check the expiration date of the products and read the instructions carefully.

The FDA has so far approved the use of 116 COVID-19 test kits, including RT-PCR, antigen and antibody.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine is evaluating 31 more self-test kits.

The approval of the use of self-test kits in the Philippines came nearly two years into the pandemic. Other countries have long allowed their citizens to use at-home tests and have provided test kits for free.

The Philippines has reported 3.44 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started. Currently, there are 262,997 active cases.