Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
Tesco has announced it will be selling CTDA-approved lateral flow tests in its stores nationwide from 1 April.
Diagnostic healthcare company Everything Genetic has announced a deal which will see lateral flow devices stocked across thousands of Tesco’s stores and online from April 1, as the government moves to end the provision of free tests.
Everything Genetic’s £2 kits will be stocked in over 1,500 Tesco stores across the UK from April 1. Coinciding with the in-store launch, the tests will initially be available for online customers in London, before being rolled out online nationwide from May onwards.
The tests – which report a clinical performance of 96.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity when detecting Covid-19 – have recently received approval under the UK Health Security Agency’s Medical Devices Regulations 2021 (CTDA).
The approval permits the sale of the devices to the UK public and comes after the government unveiled plans to reduce the number of free tests it provided during the pandemic, as part of its ‘living with Covid-19’ strategy.
James Price, Everything Genetic’s CEO, said: “The gradual easing of the UK’s Covid restrictions has brought with it a subsequent rise in cases across the country, especially in recent weeks1. As a result, thousands of individuals across the UK will still want the peace of mind that the fast, efficient and accurate LFT devices can provide.
“Although Covid tests won’t be free after April 1, the importance and demand for using them to accurately gain a rapid insight into our health will continue for some time. The very nature of the tests mean they can be used at-need to provide a fast, efficient and reliable result of positivity.”
He added: “As the kits will now be positioned in convenient Tesco retail locations up and down the country, they’ll be readily available at a moment’s notice for anyone wanting to get tested.As a business, our overarching ambition is to democratise testing, whether testing for Covid or through our other side of the business, testing for hereditary diseases.
“Bringing down the cost price for these tests to less than the price of a takeaway coffee, could help us realise those ambitions, and we’re delighted to provide Tesco’s customers with access to reliable, accurate and affordable tests.”
