OraSure Technologies Inc. has announced that it has submitted an approval application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) test kit.

The new test can be used with oral fluid as well as blood and plasma. OraSure has not yet announced how quickly its rapid HCV test will provide results, but its rapid HIV test gives results in as little as 20 minutes. Currently, laboratory-based HCV tests can take several days to return results. Having a rapid test that doesn’t require laboratory analysis allows HCV screening to take place in mobile units and emergency rooms, as is currently done with HIV testing.