Panel SA: Laboratories will seek government to embed service in self-test

After the decision by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) to postpone the release of Covid self-tests in Brazil, Abramed, an association that brings together diagnostic medicine companies such as Dasa, Fleury and Einstein, says it will seek the Ministry of Health to suggest laboratory services that could help the population to apply self-examinations. The suggestion would be to verify the functioning of the tests and transmit the results to the authorities, according to the entity.

“Although self-tests seem to be very simple, many people will certainly have difficulty performing them, and the collection of material is a critical step so that the final result is reliable and does not present false negatives”, says the association, in a note.

Industry executives believe that laboratories, which saw the birth of a market with Covid tests in the pandemic, could find a new niche in the area, if they were to lose ground with the arrival of the self-test.

Abramed defended Anvisa’s decision not to approve the use of the self-test.

The entity says that, before releasing patients to do their own exams, a system for sharing information about test results should be structured. It also suggests that Conect SUS be evaluated as one of the possibilities.

This Wednesday (19), when postponing the measure, Anvisa justified that the technical note from the Ministry of Health, which made the request for release, had gaps on how to notify the confirmation of infection and how to guide patients.

with Andressa Motter e Ana Paula Branco