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COVID-19 test updates Expiration date extensions of COVID-19 at-home tests. FDA updated the page, At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests, to include expiration date information to help consumers find the current expiration date for any FDA authorized OTC COVID-19 diagnostic test. (April 28, 2022)
- Overview
- Why did the FDA extend expiration dates?
- Which test brands can you use after they've "expired"?
- What happens if a COVID-19 test is truly expired?
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in the U.S., Americans are reviving a familiar precautionary measure: Screening for the virus using rapid at-home tests.
Many people still have kits the government formerly provided to all households for free, especially as some schools and businesses again require tests. Yet different COVID-19 tests bear expiration dates on their packaging that have long since passed, raising questions about whether they're still effective.
Once in short supply, test kits are now easier to come by, but they can be costly in stores, roughly $25 for a pack of two tests. It's also still possible for both insured and uninsured people to get free testing. The government is once again offering free rapid at-home tests by mail, which you can order online at COVIDTests.gov.
•More free COVID-19 tests can be ordered now, as uptick looms
•Free COVID test kits are coming back. Here's how to get them.
If you still have any older tests stored away, the good news is that some COVID-19 test kits that are past their expiration dates may still be effective. Here's how to find out if your COVID-19 test is safe to use.
The Food and Drug Administration maintains a list of authorized over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests that indicate if the expiration date printed on their packaging is valid or if it has been extended.
The FDA has extended the expiration dates of several different test brands, lengthening their shelf lives to up to two years. The extensions come in response to manufacturers testing their kits for accuracy beyond their printed expiration dates and sharing the results with the FDA.
Abbott's widely used BinaxNow COVID-19 test kits now have a shelf life of up to 22 months, depending on when the tests were manufactured. In January of 2023, the pharmaceutical firm told customers that kits they'd previously purchased "may now have a longer than labeled product expiry date." To see if a BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test kit in your possession has a new expiration date, you can search for its lot number in the attached list here.
"All BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test kits currently have a twenty-two-month expiry date," the company said. Abbott added that expiration dates could be extended again in the future, pending new data on their viability.
Users of other tests, like Ellume's COVID-19 Home Test, should refer to the expiration date printed on the tests' packaging. If a test truly has expired, the results it delivers cannot be trusted, according to the FDA.
"COVID-19 tests and the parts they are made of may degrade, or break down, over time. Because of this, expired test kits could give inaccurate or invalid test results," the FDA said in a statement on its website.
- Cerullo
- 3 min
Apr 29, 2022 · Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough, Inc.: BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Self Test 15-month to 22-month shelf-life extension granted by the FDA December 21, 2022 Lot Number Tests with this printed...
Jul 26, 2023 · Quidel Corporation: QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test 12-month to 16-month self-life extension granted by the FDA on September 23, 2022. Lot Number. Tests with this printed expiration...
Sep 29, 2023 · The coronavirus home test kits have an expiration date printed on the box. Yet the test kits will include multiple reminders for consumers to check the FDA website for extended...
- Ken Alltucker
- Health Reporter
Feb 14, 2023 · Abbott recently received an extension from the U.S. FDA for BinaxNOW Self Tests from 15-month expiration dates to 22-months. Where to Find BinaxNOW Self Tests. Here's how you can confirm what your new expiration may be: Look on the back of your box for both the expiration date (next to the hourglass symbol) and lot number (next to the words LOT).
12-month to 15-month self-life extension granted by the FDA January 11, 2023. Lot Number. Tests with this printed expiration date (Year-month-day) Now have this extended expiration date...
