CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
Qiagen, which makes the QuantiFeron-TB Gold Plus, said in a May 3 news release that the reaffirmation helps ensure access to screening for insured patients in the U.S. who are at risk. The Affordable Care Act requires that insurers provide preventive services with an A or B recommendation at no cost.
The task force refers in its recommendation statement to the tuberculin skin test and the interferon-gamma release assays that are available for screening in the U.S. It also suggests that testing with IGRA may have advantages over the TST for those who have received a BCG vaccination or may be unlikely to return for TST interpretation.
“Stepping up screening is increasingly critical to achieve the ambitious End TB Strategy goals, especially in light of the setbacks in testing during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jenny Howard, Qiagen VP and head of the company’s immune response franchise, said in the news release.