“I plan to order 1000 Covid-19 rapid tests for my pharmacy, because I already have customers who claim it. Some colleagues plan to take 500, others a little less, it depends. Like this pharmacist, working in the Paris suburbs, professionals in the sector anticipate high demand and have already organized themselves to order the famous Covid-19 serological unit tests.
These are finger pricks that, from a drop of blood taken, can be used to diagnose whether you have made antibodies against the coronavirus and therefore contracted the disease. The HAS (High Health Authority) recommended, Monday, their realization by health professionals including doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists.
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"We receive a lot of requests," explains Oren Bitton, commercial director of the company Biosynex, which produces this type of test in eastern France. Pharmacists have been preparing to be able to dispense them for about two months, and have accelerated since Monday with the recommendations of the HAS. "
“There are 5 to 6,000 pharmacies who want to acquire Trods ( NLDR: rapid diagnostic orientation tests, their technical name ) via their groups, representing a demand for around 1 million tests for this month of May. In addition, other rapid finger prick tests, RDTs (rapid diagnostic tests), will be performed in the laboratory. Self-tests, to be done alone at home, are not recommended.
NG Biotech, the Breton start-up which has just received an order for 100,000 rapid serological tests from the AP-HP (Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris), establishes the same observation. “There is real anxiety about the disease, people want to raise a doubt and this test can reassure them. This will result in high demand. We are already working with pharmaceutical groups on this subject, ”explains Alain Calvo, the director of strategic development for the SME.
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Note, however, that if these rapid tests find out if you have been infected with Covid-19, they do not determine whether or not you are immune to the disease. And, as with pregnancy tests, it is necessary after a positive Trod to have this result confirmed by a laboratory test.
About twenty euros
“We now have to wait for the green light from the government for commercialization. But pharmacists are already used to doing this type of testing. For example, since January we have been carrying out Trods to screen for angina in certain patients in our pharmacies ”, explains Carine Wolf-Thal, the president of the order of pharmacists. Solicited by us, the Directorate General of Health told us on Thursday that "the decree defining the marketing framework and the list of tests will be published in the next few days".
It remains to be seen who can buy them? In its last note, the HAS recommends the use of these rapid tests for "nursing staff and collective accommodation and for symptomatic patients without signs of severity". But anyone can go to a pharmacy to perform a test, at their expense, without reimbursement by health insurance. This is already the case in private laboratories stormed by individuals who, for around fifty euros, want screening with blood tests. For Trod, which pharmacists are preparing to sell, the price should be around twenty euros.
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