a first “combined” self-test soon available

Snow, rain, cold temperatures… As winter approaches, the flu, bronchiolitis and the coronavirus will or have even already made a return. To facilitate the detection of these viral pathologies and improve their management, a first “combined” self-test will be sold in pharmacies starting this Wednesday, November 27. The latter is the “All in triplex” antigen test from the French group AAZ, according to information from Parisian. Designed for children and now authorized for adults, it can detect SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus (A or B) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Covid-19, bronchiolitis, flu: what do we know about the effectiveness of the first “combined” self-test?

“Already used by more than 100 pediatric and adult emergency departments, including many university hospitals,” this device can be carried out, since a decree of May 21, 2024, by pharmacists in pharmacies “by asking for a few euros to be paid”, according to the daily. From now on, it can be marketed freely for a period of five years. The company advises selling it at around 10 euros per unit, but pharmacies have the right to set another price. As with Covid self-tests, no reimbursement by Health Insurance is provided.

“All in triplex is the first combined self-test to obtain CE IVDR certification in Europe”, can we read on the AAZ group website. In terms of effectiveness, the manufacturer ensures that this antigen test is “reliable, with 99% correlation with the nasopharyngeal PCR test for the Covid part”. However, the High Authority of Health remains for the moment more measured and alert on “sensitivity levels significantly lower than those displayed on the instructions” in a report published in 2023. “It all depends on the criteria chosen. (…) A national-scale survey will be launched during the winter of 2025-2026”, the French company told the newspaper.

How to use the “All in triplex” antigen test?

This test, carried out nasally, is “fast”, because the time needed to do it “is about a minute”, according to the manufacturer. Painless, its sampling sponge attached to the end of a small tube must be placed in each nostril. The user must make several rotations for 15 seconds. Then, the device must be inserted into its support. “The waiting time before reading is 15 minutes.” Made up of three strips of different colors (blue for coronavirus, green for flu and orange for bronchiolitis), the result is negative if only one strip is displayed and positive if there are two.