Singapore firm invents coronavirus breathalyser with results in seconds

Singapore firm invents coronavirus breathalyser with results in seconds A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for the new coronavirus which it says will enable people to know whether they are infected in under a minute. Chen Lin U.S.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for the new coronavirus which it says will enable people to know whether they are infected in under a minute.

Breathonix, a startup firm from the National University of Singapore, says its test achieved more than 90% accuracy in a pilot clinical trial of 180 people in the city-state and hopes to get regulatory approval early next year.

Countries worldwide are looking to develop alternative tests to the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) nasal swab, which is invasive and in short supply in some places where demand has outstripped manufacturers’ production capacity.

Breathonix is currently expanding its trial in Singapore and hopes to improve accuracy and get the green light to go commercial in the first quarter of next year.

At US$20, Breathonix says its test would be 70% cheaper than PCR tests, although infected patients would likely still need the more sensitive PCR tests to confirm the diagnosis.

“The breath test is more like a first level screen device,” said Jia Zhunan, co-founder and CEO of Breathonix, adding it could be deployed at conferences, sports events and concerts. ...