Renesas ramps up chip volume to support first FDA-Authorised at-home test for COVID-19

Renesas Electronics Corporation has announced that is delivering a synchronous boost converter solution in high volume for the first at-home COVID-19 test authorised by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Renesas prioritised a steep ramp-up for this kit to meet anticipated high demand.

Testing is a key weapon in the fight against COVID-19 with over 600 million tests administered in the United States so far this year. The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to Lucira Health, Inc., a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialisation of transformative and innovative infectious disease test kits, for its single-use, user-friendly Lucira™ COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit that can produce a positive or negative result at home within 30 minutes. This is significantly faster than labs that currently take up to about seven days to generate similarly accurate test results. Lucira’s test kit is differentiated by its simple ‘swab, stir and detect’ design.

“We’re particularly pleased to contribute to Lucira’s important COVID-19 self-testing kit,” said Kris Rausch, Vice President of Americas Sales for the IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “As part of our corporate-wide efforts, Renesas has prioritised customers and solutions that help society battle this global pandemic.”

“Delivering the first single-use, at-home, molecular test kit for COVID-19 was a tremendous achievement of which we are extremely proud,” said Erik T. Engelson, President & CEO. “It’s a testament to our technology, as well as the dedication and speed of our team. We required the same exceptional technology and speed from our suppliers, and Renesas quickly ramped-up to deliver exactly what we needed.”

Renesas’ Commitment to Fighting COVID-19

Renesas delivers key solutions that are essential in helping society deal with the current pandemic. Healthcare, air purification, air quality monitoring, networking and mobility solutions from Renesas are being employed by customers around the world to enable a “new normal.” More information is available at www.renesas.com/about/press-center/covid-19.

About Lucira Health

Lucira is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialisation of transformative and innovative infectious disease test kits. Lucira’s testing platform produces lab quality molecular testing in a single-use, consumer-friendly, palm-size test kit powered by two AA batteries. Lucira designed its test kits to provide accurate, reliable and on-the-spot molecular test results anywhere and at any time. The LUCIRA™ CHECK IT COVID-19 Test Kit (OTC) and LUCIRA™ COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit (Rx) are designed to provide a clinically relevant COVID-19 result within 30 minutes from sample collection.  For more information, visit www.lucirahealth.com.