On Jun. 11, 2020, Quidel announced it had received funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), to support development of a point-of-care diagnostic assay that potentially tests for four respiratory viruses: SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, Influenza B, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Sofia 2 is Quidel’s next-generation version of its best-selling Sofia instrumented system. Sofia 2 utilizes the original Sofia fluorescent chemistry design while improving upon the graphical user interface and optics system to provide an accurate, objective and automated result in 15 minutes. The next-generation Sofia 2 system also comes connected to Virena®, Quidel’s data management system, which provides aggregated, de-identified testing data in near real-time.

BARDA funding directly supported Quidel’s development of the four-virus, point-of-care test. Funding began on May 29, 2020, and ran through April 2021, totaling approximately $635,000. The goal of the funding was to achieve an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the funding period