BURLINGTON — Laboratory testing company LabCorp (LH) announced on Tuesday a new program offering a free antibody test over the next three months to spur blood plasma donations to aid in the fight against COVID-19.
LabCorp will extend the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test at no charge to patients already receiving a “medically necessary” exam, blood test, or treatment from a health care provider.
“Many people have antibodies and are unaware that they could potentially use them to help save lives. LabCorp is offering antibody tests at no charge through a patient’s doctor to make it easier for more people to know if they should consider giving plasma. If you have antibodies and donate your plasma, you are helping the fight against the pandemic,” CEO Adam Schechter said in a statement.
In the release, the company notes that the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test has not been FDA approved, but it has received an emergency use authorization. The company also adds that the no-charge testing program does not apply to other antibody tests such as the IgG test.
LabCorp is rolling out free testing to help accelerate COVID-19 blood plasma donations as part of The Fight Is In Us campaign, a public-private coalition hoping to use COVID-19 convalescent plasma as a possible treatment.
At the time of this writing, more than 20.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed globally, with more than 737,000 dead. In the U.S., more than 5.1 million cases have been reported, with 163,000 dead. In North Carolina, approximately 137,000 have been affected, with 2,198 dead.
LabCorp stock closed Tuesday trading at $186.13 per share, down $1.25 from Monday.
The full press release is available here.
This story is from the North Carolina Business NewsWire, a service of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Media
