A new Covid-19 breath test holds promise, but wide use may still be far off

Coronavirus infections might soon be flagged with a puff of exhaled breath, after the Food and Drug Adminration on Thursday authorized the first breath-based COVID-19 test in the United States.
The emergency-use authorization of the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer is a meaningful milestone in the yearslong quest to develop more breath-based diagnostics, as well as innovative new tests for COVID-19, experts said. And it is likely to be the first of many similar breath-based COVID-19 tests, experts said.
“I think this is a really exciting development for the entire field of breath analysis,” said Crina Davis, associate vice chancellor of Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives at the University of California, Davis, who has been developing her own coronavirus test. “This is a huge step forward.”
But breath tests still pose real-world challenges, and this particular device has several practical limitations, scients said. The machine required to conduct the tests is large — about the size of a carry-on suitcase — and can be used only trained operators supervised health care professionals.
And many devices would be needed for wide-scale screening, given that each machine can process only about 20 samples an hour, according to InspectIR Systems, a small, five-person company based in Frisco, Texas.
The company cited high accuracy rates for its tests, but some experts said they wanted to examine the data underlying its application to the FDA before endorsing this test method.
It could take 10 to 12 weeks for the first devices to hit the market, John Redmond, co-founder of InspectIR Systems, said Friday. The company said it planned to produce about 100 devices a week, according to the FDA, but it was not immediately clear when production would reach that level.
InspectIR hopes to lease the analyzers to other businesses, including health care facilities and companies that run mobile or pop-up testing sites. They could be used to test travelers at airports or workers in an office building, the co-founders said, adding there has already been interest from professional sports leagues and companies in the travel industry.
The device’s pricing has not yet been finalized, but the co-founders said Friday they hope to be able to offer licenses or subscriptions that translate to a cost of about $10 to $12 per test.