Retailers selling in-home rapid HIV test

The first available in-home HIV test has reached the market. The OraQuick test from OraSure Technologies is available at retail stores and online.

The test is the first rapid infectious disease test to be made available directly to consumers for in-home use.

The company planned a press conference for Oct. 10 to announce its awareness campaign – said to feature a celebrity talking about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status.

OraSure CEO Douglas A. Michels, in a news release on Oct. 9, said, “For the first time ever, individuals now have access to an in-home rapid oral HIV test – the same test healthcare professionals have used and trusted for years – that will empower them to learn their HIV status in the comfort and privacy of their own home. This is a tremendous breakthrough in our fight against HIV and AIDS.”

The test detects antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 with an oral swab, with results in as little as 20 minutes. It is an over-the-counter version of the rapid test used by doctors, hospitals and clinics.

OraSure said the test is available from more than 30,000 retailers.

The FDA approved the test this past summer. The government estimates that about 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 240,000 of them do not know their status.

On the Web…

OraQuick.com