The Canadian maker of a rapid COVID-19 test has filed for creditor protection after pausing shipments of the product due to a recently identified issue with the system.
Spartan Bioscience Inc. says the problem is not a safety issue.
The Ottawa-based company says it’s seeking protection from creditors while it restructures its operations and refines the test’s performance.
Spartan says it’s laying off 60 employees, or around 70 per cent of its workforce.
Despite the challenges, Spartan says it remains committed to mobile DNA-testing technology in the fight against COVID-19.
It says Health Canada’s authorization remains in place while Spartan works with the agency to resolve the issue.
Interim CEO Jennifer Ross-Carriere said Spartan Bioscience is a Canadian company working to protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
“We believe Canada needs more innovation in the biosciences sector and we are incredibly proud of our team for quickly designing and manufacturing the only made-in-Canada rapid diagnostic PCR COVID-19 test,” Ross-Carriere wrote in an email.