ANVISA Approves Rapid Tests for Covid-19 in Pharmacies, Urges Caution on Results

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The board of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) approved yesterday, April 28th, the use of rapid tests in pharmacies to detect the novel coronavirus causing Covid-19). With the decision, the tests will no longer be carried out only in hospitals and public and private clinics.

“The increase [in testing] will be a useful strategy to decrease the crowding of individuals [in hospitals] and also to reduce the demand for medical services in the public health networks,” said Antonio Barra Torres, ANVISA’s deputy director president.

Pharmacies will not be obliged to provide the test. The establishments choosing the procedure must have a qualified professional to perform the test.

The tests will not be used to assess the number of coronavirus cases in the country. In his vote, Barra Torres, the rapporteur of the procedure, also pointed out that the test will not confirm the diagnosis for coronavirus, since the test may point to the so-called “false negative” when the patient is tested in the first days of symptoms.

“The immunochromatographic tests have no confirmatory efficacy, they are auxiliary. Tests with negative results do not exclude the possibility of infection and positive tests should not be used as absolute evidence of infection, requiring additional laboratory tests for confirmation,” he said.

The release of rapid tests in pharmacies was facing resistance, due to health issues and also linked to the effectiveness of the tests. Commenting on the approval to perform the tests in pharmacies, Barra Torres recalled that some local governments have ordered these tests to be performed.

These tests will be temporarily permitted, and should be used only during the national public health emergency period decreed by the Ministry of Health.on February 4th this year.

Source: Agência Brasil

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