Yale researchers' coronavirus saliva test, used on NBA players, gets FDA emergency approval

The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency approval to a coronavirus saliva test developed by researchers at Yale University. The test was previously used on NBA players and staffers.

Yale says of the test, which is called SalivaDirect, that it "is simpler, less expensive, and less invasive than the traditional method for such testing." FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn called the test "groundbreaking."

The researchers predict labs to charge about $10 per sample, but the Yale scientists do not intend to commercialize the product. SalivaDirect does not utilize proprietary technology, which means the Yale lab can provide instructions to other diagnostic laboratories that could use commercially available equipment to create and conduct the tests. 

The accuracy of the saliva test has not yet been peer-reviewed, byte the researchers say it is similar to the accuracy of the nasal swab tests for the virus. The FDA's emergency approval Monday allows the test to skip the agency's regular approval process.