On March 31, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $53.7 million contract to Ortho Clinical Diagnostics to increase production capacity of COVID-19 antigen and antibody test kits and associated VITROS® Systems test analyzers. The VITROS® Systems test analyzers can be installed in laboratories across the nation to process tests and provide same-day results.
This is an industrial base expansion effort which will allow Ortho Clinical to establish domestic production capability of its COVID-19 antigen and antibody test kits and VITROS® Systems test analyzers at its Rochester, New York facility. This effort will allow the company to increase production capacity from 1.8 million to 6.7 million tests per month and establish production capacity of 25 test analyzers per month by April 2022.
The DOD’s Defense Assisted Acquisition (DA2) Cell led this effort in coordination with the Department of the Air Force’s Acquisition COVID-19 Task Force (DAF ACT). HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Developmental Authority (BARDA) funded this effort through the Health Care Enhancement Act (HCEA) to support domestic industrial base expansion for critical medical resources.