New call for HIV at-home testing kits in the UK

he National AIDS Trust has called for the incorporation of at-home testing kits for HIV into UK strategies following their approval for sale in the US.

Earlier this week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a rapid, at-home HIV test for the first time.

OraQuick, which will sold over-the-counter, is an oral swab test which gives a result in 20-40 minutes.

The FDA said it could potentially “identify large numbers of previously undiagnosed HIV infections, especially if used by those unlikely to use standard screening methods”.

NAT has called on the UK government to legalise the tests so they can be incorporated into prevention and treatment strategies east of the Atlantic.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, said: “NAT welcomes the lead taken by the US Food and Drug Administration in approving HIV test kits and we call on the UK Government also to legalise and regulate them. Home testing kits are currently unlawful in the UK but we know some people are already buying them online from overseas.  Read More