BD-Canada Donates Rapid, Point-of-Care Antigen Tests to Safehaven Project for Community Living

MISSISSAUGA, ON, 12 February 2021 – BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced its Canadian division donated rapid, point-of-care, SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests for use on the BD Veritor™ Plus System.

The donation to Safehaven Project for Community Living in Ontario, which provides residential and respite care to individuals with developmental disabilities and complex needs, includes 1,000 rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 and three BD Veritor™ Plus Analyzers, alongside BD Veritor™ InfoScan modules that allow for additional data, like a patient identifier, to be collected and linked to test results.

The BD Veritor™ Plus System, which has a slightly larger footprint than a mobile phone, offers an easy-to-use workflow that makes it an ideal solution for point-of-care settings. It achieves fast test results in approximately 15 minutes and displays easy-to-read digital results for COVID-19, removing result ambiguity. The test uses a mid-nasal swab to collect patient samples, which is less invasive for the patient than nasopharyngeal sample collection. The BD Veritor™ Plus Analyzer also saves testing results on a secured internal drive, avoiding the need for manual transcription of results and helps with traceability of testing results. The recording of data could save valuable time and resources for facilities like Safehaven and ensures reliable results can be provided for public health tracking purposes. BD-Canada has shipped over 1.1 million SARS-CoV2 rapid antigen tests for use on the BD Veritor™ Plus System to Ontario, with more on the way.

“Rapid tests are a massive gamechanger in our work to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep Ontarians safe and healthy,” said Premier Doug Ford. “These tests are crucial because they can turn around results in minutes instead of days and they also make reporting to public health easier, meaning the incredible staff at places like Safehaven can focus on the people, rather than the paperwork.”

“BD is committed to supporting the Canadian and Ontario health care efforts to help combat COVID-19,” said Greg Miziolek, president of BD-Canada. “We know that congregate living facilities are in great need of rapid testing solutions and result reporting is an important part of the COVID-19 response. We are pleased to be making this significant contribution to Safehaven and our hope is that the rapid tests will help keep their community safe by enabling staff to quickly implement public health measures and focus on providing care.”

“Rapid testing will enable organizations like Safehaven to respond in a timely manner to positive COVID-19 tests that can facilitate the early implementation of infection prevention and control measures, in order to reduce the spread of the virus that can potentially save lives and reduce poor outcomes for vulnerable individuals in congregate settings,” said Susan Bisaillon, RN, M Sc., CEO, Safehaven. “The BD Veritor™ test provides a surveillance tool to help Safehaven monitor COVID-19 in our sites and maintain accurate data without spending too much time on administrative paperwork. Using a less invasive sample collection method will also be preferable for individuals with complex medical needs that are cared for in Safehaven’s facilities.”

BD has also been supporting SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing (RT-PCR) in Canadian labs on the BD MAX™ System.

For Product Enquiries and How to Order:

Individuals interested in placing an order or learning more about the BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 should visit: https://go.bd.com/BDVeritorinCanada.html

About the BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Assay

The BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 assay has been authorized by Health Canada under Interim Order. This test is only authorized for the duration of the Interim Order Respecting the Importation and Sale of Medical Devices for Use in Relation to COVID-19, unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner. The SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Assay is not authorized for use by consumers or for at-home use.

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 65,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com/en-ca.