August 18, 2020 • 6 mins
The FDA has approved a new and inexpensive saliva test for COVID-19 that was developed by Yale University and funded in part by the NBA and the NBA Players Association. So far, the test has yielded similar results to other diagnostic tests and also avoids a key step that has caused shortages in chemical reagents in other tests. Ed Silverman, @Pharmalot columnist and senior writer at STAT News, joins us for more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Tuesday, August. I'm Oscar Ramirez from the Daily Dive
podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America. The
FDA has approved a new and inexpensive saliva test for
COVID nineteen that was developed by Yale University and funded
in part by the NBA and the NBA Players Association.
So far, the test has yielded similar results to other
(00:21):
diagnostic tests and also avoids a key step that has
caused shortages and chemical reagents in other tests. Ed Silverman,
farm a lot columnist and senior writer at stat News,
joins us for more. Thanks for joining us, head, so
thanks for having me. I wanted to talk about this
new test that was just cleared by the f d A.
It was made by Yale University, and it was funded
(00:44):
in part at least by the NBA and the NBA
Players Association. They're down in the bubble right now, so
there was a perfect time to help test this new
thing out. But it's a saliva test, an inexpensive saliva
test for COVID nineteen that they're saying could greatly expand
testing capacity. And tell us a little bit about this
new test. Well, there are a few things that make
(01:06):
it worth noting, and it's certainly got a lot of
attention when the FDA announced the Emergency Youth Authorization over
the weekend. For one thing, saliva test is easier to
use than the nasal swab, which can pinch the nasal area.
People find it annoying at best, and with a saliva test,
(01:27):
you can just spit into a tube or particular container.
So that's an advantage right there, And there are a
couple of advantages here. Another one is that to turnaround
time is between two to three hours to run dozens
of samples. And the whole issue with testing is that
(01:47):
we need to be able to test as many people
as quickly as possible, because if you have to wait
X number of days before you get a test result,
you obviously are not going to be able to capture
what's happening in real time because people move around, they
come into contact with others perhaps and the information can
get out of date, and then they first have to
(02:09):
get those results to be able to act on them.
So here the saliva test, it comes back relatively quickly.
You can have results ideally presumably in the same day,
and that allows you to act in it to quarantine
yourself so that the transmission rate is mitigated or at
least slowed down, and that is the key here. Yeah,
(02:31):
and that's what we have been seeing a lot in
the past few weeks. There's a lot more demand for tests,
but the backlog was so great people were waiting a week,
sometimes two weeks in certain cases to get their test results.
And at that point it's not helping anybody with regards
to being able to isolate yourself or even contact tracing efforts.
So it's been kind of an ongoing problem to get
our hands wrapped around. The other thing about this Yale test,
(02:55):
they're saying that it skips a step that a lot
of the other tests do take, which is extracting the
virus is genetic material, and in this case it continues
just to help it move along faster. So basically, the
AL test doesn't use expensive reagents that are used to
stabilize samples and extract the virus is genetic materials, so
(03:18):
instead the AL test relies on cheaper reagents and a
heating step to separate the virus is genetic material from
the rest of the sample. So this might cause the
test to be slightly less sensitive or yield a true
positive rate, but it makes the test much cheaper than
the alternatives that are already being used. I should also
(03:38):
add something that the researchers they're making the test available
on what they call an open source protocol, which means
that it will be easier to use different testing components elsewhere,
so that they will be much easier access to the
method that Yells providing to Sir deified laboratories, and that
(04:01):
will also speed the whole turnaround process. There is another
saliva test that's made by Rutgers University. I know that
one has been had a couple of problems with accuracy
on this one, and this speaking to the partnership that
they did with the NBA and the NBA Players Association.
Since they're in the bubble, they're doing constant testing. Anyways,
(04:23):
they were doing regular diagnostic tests of players and staff,
and then they were also doing this saliva test by Yale,
which is called Saliva direct by the way, and they
were comparing those two tests, so I think they said
almost universally the test came back exactly the same. So
with regards to accuracy, they think they've nailed it on
that one. Other difference, according to the Yale of researchers again,
(04:46):
is that the cost of the materials they've used to
put their tests together, it's just a few dollars. So
on that basis, they're hopeful that the certified labs that
turn around and run the samples to get us results
long charge more than ten dollars per sample. Now that
remains to be seen. You know what, there's money to
(05:08):
be made. There's money to be made in any event.
The Rutgers test cross anywhere from sixty fifty dollars per test,
so there's obviously room for savings here that hopefully will
make it viable for the entire healthcare system to act
quickly and efficiently and ethically if that matters to people,
(05:30):
which hopefully it does. Yeah, I mean it does seem
like it's good news all around. Obviously, we're going through
this whole pandemic in real time, and more tests are
starting to come on board, and they're starting to nail
down exactly how to get them more accurate and with
cheaper re agents and materials needed to do it. So
all good news that the Yale one is come on
board now. And as you mentioned, since it's open source,
(05:52):
I think it might even get better after that, so
definitely something to keep an eye on. Ed Silverman farm
a lot Calumness and senior writer at stat News. Thank
you very much for joining us, Thanks for having me,
have a great day and stay safe. I'm Astar Ramirez
and this has been reopening America. Don't forget that. For
(06:13):
today's big news stories, you can check me out on
the Daily Dive podcast every Monday through Friday, so follow
us on I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.
It's Tuesday, August. I'm Oscar Ramirez from the Daily Dive
podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America. The
FDA has approved a new and inexpensive saliva test for
COVID nineteen that was developed by Yale University and funded
in part by the NBA and the NBA Players Association.
So far, the test has yielded similar results to other
(00:21):
diagnostic tests and also avoids a key step that has
caused shortages and chemical reagents in other tests. Ed Silverman,
farm a lot columnist and senior writer at stat News,
joins us for more. Thanks for joining us, head, so
thanks for having me. I wanted to talk about this
new test that was just cleared by the f d A.
It was made by Yale University, and it was funded
(00:44):
in part at least by the NBA and the NBA
Players Association. They're down in the bubble right now, so
there was a perfect time to help test this new
thing out. But it's a saliva test, an inexpensive saliva
test for COVID nineteen that they're saying could greatly expand
testing capacity. And tell us a little bit about this
new test. Well, there are a few things that make
(01:06):
it worth noting, and it's certainly got a lot of
attention when the FDA announced the Emergency Youth Authorization over
the weekend. For one thing, saliva test is easier to
use than the nasal swab, which can pinch the nasal area.
People find it annoying at best, and with a saliva test,
(01:27):
you can just spit into a tube or particular container.
So that's an advantage right there, And there are a
couple of advantages here. Another one is that to turnaround
time is between two to three hours to run dozens
of samples. And the whole issue with testing is that
(01:47):
we need to be able to test as many people
as quickly as possible, because if you have to wait
X number of days before you get a test result,
you obviously are not going to be able to capture
what's happening in real time because people move around, they
come into contact with others perhaps and the information can
get out of date, and then they first have to
(02:09):
get those results to be able to act on them.
So here the saliva test, it comes back relatively quickly.
You can have results ideally presumably in the same day,
and that allows you to act in it to quarantine
yourself so that the transmission rate is mitigated or at
least slowed down, and that is the key here. Yeah,
(02:31):
and that's what we have been seeing a lot in
the past few weeks. There's a lot more demand for tests,
but the backlog was so great people were waiting a week,
sometimes two weeks in certain cases to get their test results.
And at that point it's not helping anybody with regards
to being able to isolate yourself or even contact tracing efforts.
So it's been kind of an ongoing problem to get
our hands wrapped around. The other thing about this Yale test,
(02:55):
they're saying that it skips a step that a lot
of the other tests do take, which is extracting the
virus is genetic material, and in this case it continues
just to help it move along faster. So basically, the
AL test doesn't use expensive reagents that are used to
stabilize samples and extract the virus is genetic materials, so
(03:18):
instead the AL test relies on cheaper reagents and a
heating step to separate the virus is genetic material from
the rest of the sample. So this might cause the
test to be slightly less sensitive or yield a true
positive rate, but it makes the test much cheaper than
the alternatives that are already being used. I should also
(03:38):
add something that the researchers they're making the test available
on what they call an open source protocol, which means
that it will be easier to use different testing components elsewhere,
so that they will be much easier access to the
method that Yells providing to Sir deified laboratories, and that
(04:01):
will also speed the whole turnaround process. There is another
saliva test that's made by Rutgers University. I know that
one has been had a couple of problems with accuracy
on this one, and this speaking to the partnership that
they did with the NBA and the NBA Players Association.
Since they're in the bubble, they're doing constant testing. Anyways,
(04:23):
they were doing regular diagnostic tests of players and staff,
and then they were also doing this saliva test by Yale,
which is called Saliva direct by the way, and they
were comparing those two tests, so I think they said
almost universally the test came back exactly the same. So
with regards to accuracy, they think they've nailed it on
that one. Other difference, according to the Yale of researchers again,
(04:46):
is that the cost of the materials they've used to
put their tests together, it's just a few dollars. So
on that basis, they're hopeful that the certified labs that
turn around and run the samples to get us results
long charge more than ten dollars per sample. Now that
remains to be seen. You know what, there's money to
(05:08):
be made. There's money to be made in any event.
The Rutgers test cross anywhere from sixty fifty dollars per test,
so there's obviously room for savings here that hopefully will
make it viable for the entire healthcare system to act
quickly and efficiently and ethically if that matters to people,
(05:30):
which hopefully it does. Yeah, I mean it does seem
like it's good news all around. Obviously, we're going through
this whole pandemic in real time, and more tests are
starting to come on board, and they're starting to nail
down exactly how to get them more accurate and with
cheaper re agents and materials needed to do it. So
all good news that the Yale one is come on
board now. And as you mentioned, since it's open source,
(05:52):
I think it might even get better after that, so
definitely something to keep an eye on. Ed Silverman farm
a lot Calumness and senior writer at stat News. Thank
you very much for joining us, Thanks for having me,
have a great day and stay safe. I'm Astar Ramirez
and this has been reopening America. Don't forget that. For
(06:13):
today's big news stories, you can check me out on
the Daily Dive podcast every Monday through Friday, so follow
us on I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.
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