Becton, Dickinson and Co. said July 30 it has received $24 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and HHS to support scaling up manufacturing capacity for its COVID-19 diagnostic test.
The money will help the Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based company boost its production capacity by 50 percent and produce more than 12 million test kits per month by next February, it said.
"Making COVID-19 diagnostic tests widely available is critical to expanding rapid detection of COVID-19 infections and mitigating the impact of the disease by identifying affected patients, quickly quarantining infectious individuals and tracing their contacts," said Dave Hickey, Beckton, Dickinson & Co.'s president of integrated diagnostic solutions. "This investment will bolster our U.S. manufacturing capabilities, helping us quickly scale our production of point-of-care COVID-19 tests to ensure we have a robust supply for our U.S. customers."
Read the full news release here.