First over-the-counter HIV test approved in U.S.July 4, 2012 - 11:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A home HIV test is expected to go on sale in the U.S. within months, after winning regulator approval, BBC News reported. The OraQuick test checks saliva from a mouth swab for HIV and can produce results in 20 to 40 minutes. Government estimates suggest 1.2 million people in the U.S. are HIV-positive, but 20% do not know they are. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it hopes the over-the-counter test will reach people who might not otherwise get tested. The test is expected to be sold in as many as 30,000 pharmacies and homeware shops, as well as online. The manufacturer, OraSure, has not said how much the test will sell for but confirmed it would cost less than $60 (£38). Approval of the test has been praised by HIV/Aids awareness groups. "This test will allow anyone to empower themselves to know their HIV status when, how and with whom they want to," Tom Donohue, founding director of Who's Positive, told the Associated Press. But the FDA has highlighted in its announcement that the test may not be 100% accurate, and has stressed the need for additional testing by medical professionals to confirm the result. OraSure said that in trials the test was able to correctly detect HIV among people carrying the virus only 92% of the time. It was 99% accurate for negative results - or identifying that someone does not carrying the virus. Meanwhile, Dr Jonathan Mermin, director of the HIV unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said people who receive negative results should take the test again after three months, because it can take weeks before antibodies to HIV appear. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. |