Theranos Lessons Apply to Covid-19 Antibody Tests
“Buyer beware” isn’t enough when it comes to antibody tests, where small errors can have huge consequences.
Is a finger prick of blood enough?
Photographer: Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images
As with many other things, the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed the blockbuster fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, whose start-up Theranos Inc. went from darling to dumpster fire in a matter of months after the Wall Street Journal exposed huge flaws in the company’s promise its blood-test kits could detect an array of illnesses from a single “finger-prick” of blood. (Holmes has denied the charges.)
Ironically, the pandemic may be recreating a similar environment to the one that cultivated Theranos in the first place, as whistleblower Tyler Shultz, a former employee at the now-defunct start-up, warned on May 2. Pointing to a combination of large-scale health needs, the potential for lucrative financial gain and corner cutting by regulators, he concluded that Theranos would be “thriving” in this pandemic. And when it comes to Covid-19 antibody tests, he has a point.