Pasadena Company Starts Production of New COVID-19 Rapid Test

Pasadena-based Innova Medical Group Inc. has begun production of a new COVID-19 antigen rapid test, the company announced Tuesday.

Production of the new INNOVA SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test Kits is underway, the company said in a written statement. The manufacturer plans to produce 5 million test kits per day by the end of February, ultimately expanding to as many as 50 million per day.

Innova CEO Daniel Elliot commended the progress.

“With the United States, especially California, being hit hard by COVID-19, we are pleased our team got our Southern California facilities up and running on schedule,” he said. “As we ramp up our production in two new facilities, we are committed to supporting our U.S. customers and our home state in their efforts to provide an equitable solution to suppress the infection rate with frequent, cost-effective and easily accessible testing.”

In support of the expansion, Innova is planning to hire more than 1,600 new employees to fill positions in Pasadena, Brea, Pomona and Rancho Santa Margarita, a representative said.

Rapid antigen tests aid in quickly identifying cases of COVID-19 in patients, “even when they don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, in ways that are not possible with slower, more expensive, lab-based tests,” according to the company statement.

The Innova test has been proven to successfully identify 95% of asymptomatic infectious people, the company said.

More information on Innova is available on the company’s website at innovamedgroup.com.