COVID Rapid Test Prices 'Ridiculous'

 Experts are advocating for rapid COVID-19 tests as an added layer of safety for holiday gatherings -- but they're also railing against the high costs of these tests in the U.S., and pleading for prices to come down.

On Amazon, a two-pack of rapid tests ranges from $23.99 for the Quidel QuickVue to $34.99 for the On/Go test (a.k.a. Access Bio's CareStart test). Prices for rapid tests start at $23.99 on the websites for CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid.

If just 10 people planning to gather for Thanksgiving wanted to test that morning, it would cost about $120 -- potentially the most expensive item on the holiday table.

"Paying $25 for a box of two tests is ridiculous," Carlos del Rio, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta, told MedPage Today. "Frankly, it's a travesty that in the middle of a pandemic we have such poor access to rapid testing."

"They should cost $5 for two tests," he added.

Eric Feigl-Ding, ScD, of the Federation of American Scientists, called rapid testing a "wealthy, urban privilege. Most of rural America can't afford it."

In a previous story, Tinglong Dai, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore, said current prices are vastly higher than what public health experts had initially expected.

"Originally we thought these tests could cost $5 each," Dai said.

U.S. prices are in stark contrast to many European countries, where rapid tests are free or very inexpensive, according to reports. European regulators have also authorized more than 100 rapid tests, compared with about 10 now authorized in the U.S.

The few tests allowed on the U.S. market is one reason that these tests have been in short supply, which has played a role in driving up prices, the previous story found. Another driver was unexpected rising demand as cases increased in the U.S. due to the Delta variant, and as employers sought out tests for employees returning to offices.

The federal government has since launched several initiatives to bring more rapid tests onto the U.S. market, including a $2 billion investment to supply the tests to places such as long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, and jails, and a $1 billion investment in incentives to manufacturers.

The FDA also announced that it would implement new policies to bolster access to at-home testing and help ensure accuracy and reliability of the tests.

But experts aren't convinced that those moves are enough. Operation Warp Speed, for instance, invested $18 billion to make COVID-19 vaccines a reality.

Michael Mina, MD, PhD, of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, tweeted that the "government should subsidize cost fully" for the tests, noting that they're "NOT a luxury. NOT personal medicine," but that they are "critical public health tools."

del Rio agreed that the tests should be subsidized by the federal government.

Rapid tests aren't without their problems. One FDA-authorized rapid test, the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test, was recalled for its potential to yield false-positive results.

And, historically, rapid tests aren't as sensitive as gold-standard PCR tests, though proponents have argued that their reliability increases among those who are truly infectious -- which could help curb viral spread.

"Companies can charge whatever they want, whatever the market will bear," del Rio said. "It's really a travesty these aren't being subsidized appropriately."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/95748