French biotech Novacyt seeks emergency FDA approval for coronavirus test product

Biotechnology company Novacyt said on Friday it has applied for an emergency approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a test product for the coronavirus that has killed almost 640 people. The company also said it was in talks with public sector hospitals in Britain.

"As one of the first companies to develop and launch a test to detect the 2019 strain of nCoV (coronavirus), we have received unprecedented interest in our test," said Novacyt CEO Graham Mullis.