New rapid antigen tests check for both flu and Covid at once

The TGA has approved two new rapid antigen tests for the Australian market that will change the way we test for Covid and the flu.

New double whammy Rapid Antigen Tests that can tell if you have either the flu or Covid have been approved for use in Australia.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved two brands of combination RAT tests for sale on Wednesday.

The nasal swab tests work within 15 minutes, just like a normal Covid RAT test, but can also detect the influenza virus.

The tests are made by TouchBio and Fanttest and will be available online and eventually will go on sale in supermarket and pharmacies.

“Combination self-tests are like other Covid-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) but feature an additional line on the test cassette that indicates the presence of influenza A and B,” the TGA said in a media statement.

Australian National University Infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon said the new tests could fast track access to appropriate antiviral treatments for vulnerable Australians.

“The reason for getting an early diagnosis if you’re in a risk group is getting access to drug therapy Paxlovid or Lagevrio with Covid, the same can be true for influenza, but with Tamiflu,” he said.

All three of these treatments have to be commenced in the first few days of the viral infection to produce a benefit.

And, if you fear you may have received a false negative Covid test result, the combination tests may hold another answer that explains why a person is feeling ill, he said.

“It will probably be only half of the respiratory infections in winter, there’s also Rhino virus and RSV, and a whole lot of others. So it is useful, but not necessarily a game changer,” Professor Collignon said.

Covid-19 and Flu A/B Rapid Antigen Combo Test - For Self Testing.

The release of the new tests come as infections rates for both the flu and Covid have plummeted from their peak in June and July.

There were just 5325 cases of the flu recorded in August down from 140, 057 in June.

There were 10, 051 cases of Covid detected on Tuesday down from around 46,000 cases per day in late July.

The TGA said it anticipated the suppliers of these combination tests will make them available for consumers to buy at pharmacies, supermarkets or online.

“These tests must be supplied with the TGA-approved Instructions for Use and also include telephone support details for users and links to online instructional videos,” the TGA said.

Before approving the tests, the TGA said it considered clinical and analytical data that demonstrated they meet the minimum performance criteria for both Covid-19 and influenza self-tests.

The sponsors of the tests will have to provide the TGA with ongoing quality and performance information.

The companies must report to the TGA any problems with the use of the tests such as users who experience false positives or false negatives, and evidence to demonstrate that the tests continue to perform with any emerging Covid-19 variants.

These new tests are also subject to independent laboratory verification testing by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the National Reference Serology Laboratory, the TGA said.