NBA/NBPA-Funded COVID-19 Saliva Test Nets FDA Approval

A saliva-based coronavirus test funded by the NBA and the NBPA has received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. The test was developed by Yale and is now approved to be administered for public use.

The new test, SalivaDirect, generates results within 24 hours. According to ESPN, the new test will likely cost between $15-20 for U.S. consumers, which is significantly less than alternate saliva-based tests being offered in the U.S.

The NBA and its players union reportedly contributed more than $500,000 to fund Yale’s research. “My goal is not to test athletes. That’s not my target population. My target population is everybody,” Nathan Grubaugh, a senior researcher behind Yale’s saliva test studies, told ESPN.