Days after reports that a HIV drug may soon be on the market to prevent HIV, a U.S. panel of experts announced they are backing an over-the-counter HIV test.

Keep reading for the deets…

A panel of experts said the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test was safe and effective and its potential to prevent infections outweighed the risk of false results.

The 20-minute test is 93% accurate for positive results and 99.8% for negative, the manufacturer said.

“We are always looking for game changers, and we believe this is one of them,” said Carl Schmid, deputy director of the AIDS Institute.

“Not only will it help reduce the number of infections but it will bring more people into care and treatment.”

via BBC

The FDA usually follows panel recommendations so we will possibly be seeing these in pharmacies soon. The FDA will decide whether to approve it this year.

This is a huge step towards HIV prevention.  Nearly 1.2m people in the US are infected with HIV, with 50,000 new cases each year.

Would you take an over-the-counter HIV test to check your status?

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