Australia gets one step closer to self-testing HIV kits
Image: (PHOTO: Ann-Marie Calilhanna; Star Observer)
SELF-testing for HIV from the privacy of your own home looks to be on the horizon in Australia.
This is a welcomed development by many and is seen as an incredibly useful tool in the arsenal of HIV detection.
The Kirby Institute outlined their findings of the Frequency of Oral Rapid Testing at Home (FORTH) study at the AIDS 2016 conference in Durban, which revealed the use of self-testing kits had actively contributed to an increase in the amount of testing among participants.
“Self-testing has particular value for people who are at risk of HIV who may not attend clinics as much as they need to or who may not attend clinics at all,” Associate Professor Rebecca Guy from the Kirby Insitute said at the conference The Age reported.
“Self-testing needs to be considered as another option in addition to the existing ones.”
Though available overseas, these direct to consumer products still require the approval of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia.
Atomo Diagnostics is preparing to conduct a local trial that is necessary in order to apply to the TGA.
The company’s self-testing product has proven to be 99.8 per cent accurate in a European study.
Their products would be available without prescription for $15-$20 and give a result within 15 minutes.
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