GSK, AstraZeneca in Talks to Help U.K. Government on Virus Tests

  • Companies see effort as helping to scale-up manufacturing
  • U.K. Health Secretary said testing to ramp-up to 100,000 a day

Coronavirus swabs from patients are kept in a plastic sealed tub as lab technicians carry out a diagnostic tests.

Photographer: Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

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U.K. pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline Plc and AstraZeneca Plc are in talks to set up a lab to explore new ways of testing for the coronavirus to help overcome shortages of diagnostic materials, according to a person with knowledge of the plans.