The FDA granted marketing authorization to the first hepatitis C virus test approved for use in certified point-of-care settings, the Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System (Cepheid).
Intended for patients at risk for hepatitis C, the test detects HCV RNA and delivers results in about an hour using a fingertip blood sample, enabling patients to be tested, linked to care and potentially receive treatment during the same healthcare visit. Previously, HCV testing involved sending a sample