FDA Panel Backs First Rapid, Take Home HIV Test 94
TheGift73 writes in with news about an over-the-counter HIV test getting the backing of a panel of FDA experts. "American consumers may soon be able to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their own homes, after a panel of experts on Tuesday recommended approval of the first rapid, over-the-counter HIV test. The 17 members of the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously that the benefits of the OraQuick HIV test outweigh its potential risks for consumers. While the test, which uses a mouth swab to return a result in 20 minutes, does not appear to be as accurate as professionally-administered diagnostics, panelists said it could provide an important way to expand HIV testing. The FDA will make its final decision on whether to approve the product later this year, weighing the opinion of the panel."
Re:False positives and false negatives ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:False positives and false negatives ... (Score:4, Interesting)
I see this as more useful for testing those that you will be having sex with than for testing yourself. Keep in mind, by the time the test comes up, most people would have already decided to have sex with the other person. Not having the test at all would result in the exact same activity as having the test and getting a false negative. Now, if they could just get the same kind of test for herpes, we would be set to go.