BinaxNOW: From the Factory Floor to the Classroom Door

Abbott workers in Maine and Illinois are producing rapid tests that keep families protected and their communities open.

 

At Abbott, we know people are relying on rapid tests so that they visit loved ones with more confidence, travel, and get back to work and school. That's why we are working around the clock at our facilities in Maine and Illinois to make more COVID-19 rapid tests as demand continues due to the Omicron variant, CDC "Test to Stay" guidance, and a desire to get back to living our lives.

For Abbott employees like Mark Woodbury, who's been on the frontline of test production since the start of the pandemic, the important role played by rapid testing is having an impact in his own community and family.

"We often say that we make our products like they are being used for our own family members," said Woodbury. "I've been using our BinaxNOW tests on my own family, just like families all over the country, which gives me the confidence that they are staying healthy."

 

The Abbott teams in Maine and Illinois continue to rise to the challenge to quickly provide reliable and fast tests, so that schools like the one Mark's children attend have access to simple, affordable testing.

We first started manufacturing BinaxNOW tests in the summer of 2020 and are now ramping our manufacturing to 100 million tests a month this March. To get there, we've expanded our manufacturing footprint, brought in new automation technology to make tests faster, ramped up our plants to 24/7 production and hired new workers. And thanks to those workers and their dedication, more communities, including their own, will have access to rapid tests.

"Testing is critical to staying healthy and maintaining as close to a normal life as you can in a pandemic – and that's why we're up and running 24/7 to get as much product out the door as possible."

 

We're the largest manufacturer of rapid tests in the U.S. and we've built new factories from scratch in the matter of weeks. We want to help people quarantine only when necessary and keep schools, workplaces and entertainment venues open so we can all get back to living normally again. And as COVID-19 therapeutic treatments become available, we know that rapid testing will be as important as ever as people require fast diagnoses so they can start their therapeutic regimens in the first few days of symptom onset.

Knowing your COVID-19 status is powered by testing, and testing is powered by people, like Mark, at Abbott.  

This story was originally published on March 01, 2022 and updated on June 13, 2022.

Important Safety Information

The BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 tests have not been FDA cleared or approved. They have been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization. They have been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens, and are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner. For serial testing, the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Tests should be performed twice over 3 days, at least 24 hours (and no more than 48 hours) apart. For symptomatic use, a single test can be used.

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