Covid breath? Singapore firm invents coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 60 seconds

Breathonix said its test achieved more than 90 per cent accuracy in a pilot clinical trial of 180 people and generates results in under a minute

Countries worldwide are looking to develop alternative tests to the polymerase chain reaction nasal swab, which is invasive and in short supply

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A member of staff demonstrates the breathalyser test kit developed by Breathonix at its laboratory in Singapore on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Reutersin Singapore

Published: 6:41pm, 29 Oct 2020Updated: 6:42pm, 29 Oct 2020

A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for the new coronavirus which it claims will enable people to know whether they are infected in under a minute.

Breathonix, a start-up from the National University of Singapore, said its test achieved more than 90 per cent accuracy in a pilot clinical trial of 180 people in the city state and hopes to get regulatory approval early next year.

Countries worldwide are looking to develop alternative tests to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nasal swab, which is invasive and in short supply in some places where demand has outstripped manufacturers’ production capacity.

Breathonix is currently expanding its trial in Singapore and hopes to improve accuracy and get the green light to go commercial in the first quarter of next year.

At US$20, Breathonix says its test would be 70 per cent cheaper than PCR tests, although infected patients would likely still need the more sensitive PCR tests to confirm the diagnosis.