Randox recalls coronavirus test kits after safety concerns

Randox will recall up to 750,000 unused coronavirus testing kits in the UK after safety concerns were raised surrounding the tests.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) asked Random to recall the tests, calling the move a ‘precautionary measure’ as the risk to safety was low.

Earlier this month, NHS Test and Trace were notified that some test kits produced by Random laboratories may not meet the MHRA’s required safety standards for coronavirus testing.

County Antrim, Northern Ireland-based Randox said that it is responsible for up to 17% of the total test carried out so far in the UK, with many of the test having been sent out to care homes and individual households.

"We have high safety standards for all coronavirus tests. Following the pausing of Randox kits on 15 July, Randox have now recalled all test kits as a precautionary measure,” a spokeswoman for the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) told the BBC.

The DHSC has recommended that anyone with a Randox COVID-19 Home Testing Kit, with the catalogue number EV4429, should immediately discontinue use of and quarantine any stock relating to the tests.