While the company continues its webinar series on dentistry and COVID-19, it shares details on its work with the White House COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force and its role as a U.S. distributor for a COVID-19 antibody rapid test.
Henry Schein, Inc has announced that it will serve as the exclusive distributor in the United States of a second point-of-care rapid test kit that can detect antibodies associated with COVID-19 in as few as 15 minutes. This comes as the company continues its webinar series COVID-19 & Dentistry on Friday, April 3.
The webinar is aimed at practitioners and will feature Gary Severance, DDS, and Henry Schein for the latest updates on how COVID-19 is affecting dentistry. David Reznik, a practicing dentist and infectious disease expert, will share the latest clinical updates on COVID-19; and Ali Oromchian, JD, LLM, will discuss recent updates on the current legislative initiatives, including what’s next for your practice and employees now that H.R. 6201 is in effect. The webinar will take place at 2:00 pm EST. To register for the event, visit “COVID-19 & Dentistry”.
COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force
Henry Schein is also a participant in the White House’s COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, and has worked with the Strategic National Stockpile to deliver PPE to COVID-19 testing sites.
Henry Schein’s Brad Connett, president of the United States Medical Group, participated in a meeting at the White House on March 29 of the COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force. As part of that effort, the company is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to source and deliver critical supplies quickly.
“Understandably, demand for test kits and PPE is acute, and the industry’s supply chain, as of today, is challenged to provide the volumes that customers require,” says Connett. “We are prioritizing shipments of these critical products for use by those health care professionals on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.” At the meeting, Connett also stressed the importance of increasing the manufacturing of PPE in the United States to avoid future shortages.
Exclusive U.S. COVID-19 Test Distributor
Working with Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a leading global medical technology company, and BioMedomics, a privately held, North Carolina-based clinical diagnostics company, Henry Schein will make the test kits available to healthcare professionals as part of the company’s broad offering of point-of-care rapid tests.
The BioMedomics test analyzes blood, serum, or plasma samples for the presence of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies associated with the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The test is completed in four simple steps. First, blood is collected through normal blood collection devices, and then a few drops are transferred to the test cartridge, followed by two to three drops of a buffer. The results can be read in 15 minutes.
“The BioMedomics serology test has been validated in numerous hospitals around the world and will be a critical tool to detect current or past exposure to COVID-19,” says Dave Hickey, president of Integrated Diagnostic Solutions for BD. “We are proud to work with Henry Schein, a leader in the point-of-care segment, to get these tests to health care providers as quickly as possible.”
The agreement with BD and BioMedomics builds on Henry Schein’s announcement last week of an antibody rapid blood test, known as Standard Q COVID-19 IgM/IgG Rapid Test, which is also administered at the point of care and delivers results within 15 minutes from a pinprick with no instrumentation required.
“The COVID-19 rapid test kits are a part of Henry Schein’s response to the outbreak. These tests are important because they are fast and can be deployed where they are needed to help return our citizens to the workforce,” adds Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein. “We believe public health officials can also use these tests to better understand the spread of the disease.”
Current guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that results from antibody testing should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or exclude coronavirus infection. Depending on the clinical scenario, additional testing may be considered to further evaluate the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The test has not been reviewed by the FDA but is permitted for distribution and use under the public health emergency guidance issued by FDA on March 16, 2020.
“Henry Schein is committed to bringing essential products to the health care professionals who are fighting the pandemic,” says Bergman. “During this unprecedented crisis, healthcare professionals need rapid diagnostic tools and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect their safety and the safety of the population. In conjunction with our suppliers, we are determined to make these essential products available.”
Operational Success Webinar
To help oral health professionals maintain operational success during the COVID-19 outbreak, Henry Schein will offer an additional webinar on Friday, April 3. “Technology Driven Smiles Using CBCT and the Motion 3D Appliance” will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am PT, featuring Peri Colino, DDS, MSc, MSD, PhD, who will share how digital intelligence can increase clinical efficiencies, effectiveness, and overall patient satisfaction.