Saliva Test for Covid-19 Wins FDA Authorization as Swabs Dwindle

A device that tests patients for Covid-19 using saliva instead of the traditional swab technique gained FDA authorization, Spectrum Solutions and its partner Rutgers University announced Monday.

Widespread testing has been hindered in part because the type of swab needed for traditional virus testing is in short supply. The new saliva test created by Spectrum Solutions and a branch of Rutgers’ Human Genetics Institute doesn’t require any swab. Patients spit in the tube and close it, which releases a preservation solution that guards the components needed to test for the new coronavirus.

Collecting someone’s saliva is quicker than the traditional swab process and is easier to scale-up for mass testing, Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at Rutgers said in a statement. Starting Wednesday, the test will be used for drive-through testing at a facility in Edison, N.J.

Authorization from the FDA means the agency has reviewed the device to some degree but it isn’t as rigorous a process as gaining FDA approval.