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FDA accuses company of distributing unapproved Covid test and using falsified data
By Kathleen McLaughlin June 10, 2021
Covid swab UK
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall Thursday of a coronavirus rapid antigen test, accusing the company that makes the tests of distributing them without regulatory approval and using falsified data that inflates their performance.
The agency announced a “Class 1 recall” — its most serious type, indicating that use of the tests may cause serious injuries or death — and fired off a warning letter to Innova Medical Group of Pasadena, Calif., saying an FDA investigation revealed serious problems in the company’s data, but also in its making unapproved rapid tests available to consumers in the United States.
“Our inspection revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test has been distributed in the United States without marketing approval, clearance, or authorization from FDA,” the agency wrote.
It’s unclear how many of the test kits were distributed or to whom, but Innova’s unapproved distribution and usage was widespread enough to catch the attention of regulators. The company had applied in August 2020 for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its rapid antigen test, like hundreds of other Covid-19 test manufacturers who have earned market approval from the FDA. But the test had not been cleared for use in the U.S., though it is approved for use in the United Kingdom.
In its letter, the FDA also noted significant concerns with the data Innova is using both to try to get regulatory approval and to promote its tests. The agency said it found that on two of its test kits configurations, Innova included falsified data inflating the tests’ effectiveness.
“The clinical performance estimates reported in the labeling of the 25T Configuration and 7T Configuration devices are false or misleading as they do not accurately reflect the performance estimates observed during the clinical studies of your devices,” the FDA wrote.
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In addition, the agency charged that the test maker submitted data to the FDA in its EUA application for the tests that appeared to have been simply copied from other test manufacturers.
“The data reliability and accuracy issues noted herein raise significant concerns that the performance of the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test has not been adequately established, and that the products distributed by Innova without FDA approval, clearance, or authorization could present a serious risk to the public health,” the agency wrote.
Innova, whose executives did not respond to a request for comment, produces its rapid antigen tests in China. Its tests are widely used in the U.K., where they have been th
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