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FDA approves first at-home HIV test
FDA recently approved the first over-the-counter test for HIV, providing a confidential in-home testing option for the virus that causes AIDS, with results in as little as 20 minutes.
FDA recently approved the first over-the-counter test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), providing a confidential in-home testing option for the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), with results in as little as 20 minutes.
“This new in-home rapid test-the same test doctors have used for years-will help individuals at risk for HIV who otherwise may not test in a professional or clinical setting," said Douglas A. Michels, president and CEO of OraSure Technologies, the manufacturer of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test.
The test is designed to detect the presence of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 through an oral fluid swab of the upper and lower gums inside the mouth. The fluid sample is then put into a developer vial for 20 to 40 minutes.
According to FDA, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and about 1 in 5 are not aware that they are infected. This test has the potential to identify large numbers of people with previously undiagnosed HIV infections who might not otherwise use traditional screening methods at clinics and other centers.
FDA stresses that outcomes are not absolute, especially when exposure may have occurred within the past 3 months. Clinical studies have indicated that the home test could result in 1 false negative for every 12 test results and 1 false positive for every 5,000 test results in uninfected individuals.
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.
