Benzinga | Nov 5, 2020 08:35AM EST

Fluidigm And Healthvana Partner To Offer COVID-19 Test Results Delivery Through Innovative Digital Platform

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluidigm Corporation (NASDAQ:FLDM), an innovative biotechnology tools provider with a vision to improve life through comprehensive health insight, today announced that it has partnered with Healthvana Inc., the nation's leading patient platform for delivering COVID-19 test results, to provide clinical laboratory customers utilizing the Fluidigm(r) saliva-based Advanta(tm) Dx SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Assay with the option to deliver test results faster via Healthvana's mobile platform.



"We are witnessing record-breaking infection rates, and shortening the time for the result to get to the patient is paramount," said Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana. "On average, after clinical laboratories return COVID-19 test results, we have found that patients view their result within 30 minutes when Healthvana acts as the 'last mile.'"

Healthvana's patient-friendly mobile platform delivers test results directly to patients and is tailored to reduce anxiety through easy-to-understand test result information, education and next steps. Patients can access their health information in less than a minute, in multiple languages, and print or download it to show a negative COVID-19 test result before going to school or work or getting on a plane.

Healthvana has partnered with states, local governments, labs, employers and schools to deliver more than 3 million COVID-19 test results since April.

"Since the onset of the global health crisis, companies, universities, governmental entities and others have demonstrated an ability to pivot rapidly and innovate in ways that move us another step closer to effectively managing through this pandemic," said Chris Linthwaite, President and CEO of Fluidigm. "This spirit of collaborative problem solving is evident in the patient-focused delivery platform developed by Healthvana, and Fluidigm is pleased to have the opportunity to offer this game-changing tool to our clinical laboratory customers. We believe that Healthvana's delivery platform and our testing technology will be an extraordinarily effective combination."

Fluidigm in late August received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Advanta Dx SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Assay, an extraction-free saliva-based test to detect nucleic acid from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The assay does not require collection via invasive nasopharyngeal swab. The company's clinical study submitted to the FDA demonstrated 100 percent agreement between saliva results from the Advanta Dx SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Assay and results from paired nasopharyngeal samples tested with authorized assays.

The Advanta Dx SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Assay on the high-throughput Fluidigm Biomark(tm) HD system features an integrated testing platform and a reliable supply chain that CLIA laboratories can combine with commonly available automation platforms.