Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) today announced that the Dutch government has ordered 9.2 million of its rapid, point-of-care, SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests for use on the BD Veritor Plus rapid COVID-19 diagnostic testing system.
The first 1.2 million units will be delivered by mid-November, according to the Franklin, N.J.-based company. This major European order for BD follows others issued by the German health ministry in mid-October for Abbott (NYSE:ABT), Roche (SWX: RO, ROG) and Siemens Healthineers (ETR: SHL) to supply rapid diagnostics for the coronavirus, according to a report by Reuters.
The Dutch order for BD is the first government contract in Europe for this test, which was CE marked to the IVD Directive in September. The Dutch Ministry of Health increased its initial order by 8 million assays to improve testing capacity. BD expects the order to be fulfilled by June 2021.
“We’re proud to be working with the Dutch Ministry of Health to expand rapid testing for SARS-CoV-2. This test will be critical to aid rapid diagnosis and decision making,” said Fernand Goldblat, BD’s VP and GM of integrated diagnostic solutions for Europe, in a news release. “This rapid game-changing test is the latest effort in BD’s comprehensive response to address the world’s critical health needs during the global pandemic.”
