By Kristina Fiore; Medpage Today
People who stocked up on at-home COVID-19 tests during this past winter's Omicron surge may have expired test kits on hand. But before tossing them in the trash, check to see if their shelf-life has been extended, as the FDA has updated expiration dates for some tests based on new data.
Among those tests are the Abbott BinaxNOW and the iHealth test, two of the most popular rapid at-home tests, which received 3- or 6-month extensions, depending on lot number.
Overall, 8 of the 20 at-home tests listed on FDA's website had their shelf-life extended, and the 3- to 6-month extension appears to be typical. Shelf-life now ranges from 4 months for the Cue Health home test, to 18 months for Celltrion's DiaTrust test.
"These are tests you don't have to buy again, that you don't have to spend money on, that you don't have to order again from the government," said Emily Volk, MD, president of the College of American Pathologists. "From a resource utilization perspective, I think it's very positive."
FDA conducts stability testing to determine the shelf-life of tests. The agency said it typically authorizes at-home COVID-19 tests with a shelf-life of about 4 to 6 months from the day the test was manufactured, and that date may be extended later as additional data are collected.
"The FDA is continuing to do studies and make sure that the tools that are available are appropriate and safe," Volk said.
Some popular tests, including Becton, Dickinson and Company's Veritor and the Quidel QuickVue, have not yet received an extension on their expiration dates, however.
What could go wrong with tests that are truly expired? Volk said a chief concern would be chemical degradation of the reagents.
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