New Delhi: Mumbai-based INVEX Health is soon set to launch India’s first oral HIV self-test, the company announced on Tuesday. The saliva-based test named Morcheck is currently the only third-generation HIV test that uses oral fluid instead of blood. It tests for both HIV 1 and 2.
HIV-1 was discovered first and is more prevalent worldwide, while HIV-2 is less pathogenic and is mostly confined to West Africa.
Anudesh Goyal, Founder, INVEX Health, said that Morcheck can detect antibodies — IgG, IgA and IgM — that are produced in response to HIV infection, allowing for earlier detection of the disease.
The test requires no syringes, lancets or needles and also eliminates risk of needle stick injury. The oral fluid testing also means higher participation rates, and is ideal for situations where blood samples are difficult to obtain.
In India, as of March 2022, 77 percent of people living with HIV knew their status, 84 per cent of them were on antiretroviral therapy, and 85 per cent of them had viral suppression. This translates into 55 per cent of total people living with HIV in India being virally suppressed in 2021-22 against the target of 86 per cent of them virally suppressed by 2025-26.
