affect potential for THRM.
Abbott Labs announced today that their profit forecast for the rest of the year has changed dramatically as covid testing in the US tapers significantly. Could this affect the prospects for AcuVid? Imho it will come down to price and niche!
This is a statement from the Abbott Labs Website from just over a month ago.
The BinaxNOW Self Test will be sold in 2-count packs for an MSRP of
$23.99,
making it the most affordable OTC COVID-19 rapid test available in the U.S. Abbott is the only manufacturer in the U.S. that has Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 self test that can provide tests immediately at this scale.
First at approximately $12.00 US per test Abbott chose the US market as its primary focus. They had claimed last year that an individual test would cost $5.00. That clearly didn't happen. Therefore the cost alone would be prohibitive for the governments of most developing nations. By sourcing production to an Asian company the cost for THRM should be significantly lower. Rob mentioned during the interview that he believed costs to produce AcuVid could be reduced to $2.50.
Second, by focusing on the US, Abbott Labs in distributing this to retailers so late in the US effort to vaccinate (April 21, 2021) missed the opportunity for significant sales. Hopefully, by focussing on specific niches (Europe) and the broader mass testing still required (for at least another year) in the developing world, THRM has so far dodged the issue of timing.
This is the first paragraph from an article in the Globe and Mail from May 29, 2021.
"Weeks after Brazil experienced the COVID-19 pandemic’s deadliest month with 82,266 deaths recorded in April,
medical experts in the country are already warning about a third wave."
....and another paragraph on vaccines in Brazil
Brazil was slow to secure COVID-19 vaccines. Declining Pfizer’s offer for 70 million doses last year, the country decided to rely on AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines, which could be manufactured locally. But it has
faced troubles sourcing raw materials for them, forcing some large cities to pause second-dose vaccinations. Brazil also later
changed its mind and bought 100 million Pfizer doses in March, but it has only received a small fraction of that order so far.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-brazil-experiences-covid-19s-deadliest-month-as-experts-warn-about/ As one can see, Covid is not going anywhere soon outside of the developed world. That THRM may have a "leg in" in Brazil may be the defining moment for AcuVid.
GLTE ...holding patiently ...imho in the next two weeks the puzzle will finally be complete (one way or the other)