Source – https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/<\/p>\n
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —\u00a0<\/strong>For the first time, Canadians will have access to at-home HIV self test kits.\u00a0bioLytical Laboratories<\/u>, a world leader in rapid infectious disease tests, announced today that it has received Health Canada Licence to produce and sell its highly accurate, 1-minute INSTI\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0HIV Self Tests in Canada.<\/p>\n Likened to a home pregnancy test,\u00a0the INSTI<\/u>\u00ae<\/u>\u00a0HIV Self Test<\/u>\u00a0allows individuals to screen and monitor for HIV in the comfort of their own home, using easy-to-understand, three-step instructions. Testers collect one drop of blood using a simple fingerstick method and receive results that are more than 99 per cent accurate in only 1 minute. The INSTI\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0HIV Self Test is part of bioLytical\u2019s world-leading line of 1-minute tests for infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis C, Syphilis and now, COVID-19.<\/p>\n Contrary to the popular belief, HIV infections are still on the rise in Canada. It is estimated that 14 per cent of people living with HIV nationwide do not know their status. The introduction of HIV self-testing provides new opportunities to reach the undiagnosed, which can lead to better health outcomes and fewer new HIV transmissions.<\/p>\n \u201cEnding the HIV epidemic starts with testing. By providing innovative options like our 1-minute INSTI\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0HIV Self Test, we can help people who are unaware of their HIV status to learn the facts and make informed health decisions much faster,\u201d says bioLytical\u2019s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Mackie. \u201cIn addition, bioLytical has received approval in Europe and is currently in FDA trials for our COVID-19 Antibody test, which uses the same 1-minute INSTI\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0self-testing technology.\u201d<\/p>\n The approval of the INSTI\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0HIV Self Test comes a year after the launch of a ground-breaking field study at three sites across Canada which proved that individuals without medical training could perform the 1-minute self-test and interpret their results accurately. The study was jointly funded by The CIHR Centre for REACH 3.0 and the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) and was led by Dr. Sean B. Rourke at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n