Process experts iMFLUX support development of new testing swabs; Rhinostics to license swabs for home use
Swabs continue to be in short supply and are critical to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. P&G’s Personal Health care team collaborated with iMFLUX to develop a novel fully injection-molded polypropylene nasal swab — so healthcare workers can collect samples from the front of the nose rather than through the long cavity between the nose and the mouth. Rhinostics, a Harvard University spin-off company, has licensed the swab and is pursuing Emergency Use Authorization for home collection testing for COVID-19.
“We are proud to see the P&G developed nasal swab come to market through Rhinostics efforts. When we began this program, our intention was simply to help relieve bottlenecks in COVID-19 swab supply and bring a novel collection device to bear on the problem,” said Mary Wagner, SVP at P&G and CEO of iMFLUX, a subsidiary focused on mold design and process technology innovation for the plastics injection molding market.
The team believes this a better material choice for both PCR and antigen-based assays, reducing handling and lab processing cycle time and increase lab capacity as new home collection kits expand rapidly into the virus detection market.
“P&G and iMFLUX have been vital partners in helping Rhinostics launch the manufacturing of its nasal swab collection products,” said Cheri Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Rhinostics. “We believe there is a significant opportunity to bring new collection devices like the P&G nasal swab to clinical laboratory workflow. Not only does the nasal swab production help to relieve supply chain bottlenecks, the new design and polypropylene materials allows for comfortable collection and sample concentration due to dry shipment and improved release of viral particles. We are excited to bring this innovation to the clinical laboratory market,” says
P&G developed the swab as part of its commitment to help communities address supply shortages and to bring creative solutions to bear on the challenges facing laboratories and supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn more about how P&G is supporting communities during the coronavirus pandemic, visit https://us.pg.com/covid19/.
