The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abbott's Architect 25-OH Vitamin D assay.

The fully-automated assay can measure the stable form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH vitamin D), the body’s repository of vitamin D through a simple blood test.

Abbott Diagnostics senior vice president Brian Blaser said the new Architect 25-OH Vitamin D assay has shown excellent precision and may help laboratories cope with escalating demand for vitamin D testing and help get results to physicians and their patients much sooner."

Abbott Diagnostics scientific affairs manager Beth Schodin said the availability of vitamin D assay can give physicians timely information about their patients and help them identify appropriate treatment options.