New Era of HIV Testing Expanded by INVEX Health

INVEX Health, headquartered in Mumbai, has unveiled its forthcoming release of India's premier oral HIV self-test.

INVEX Health, a Mumbai-based company, has announced the upcoming launch of India's inaugural oral HIV self-test, marking a significant advancement in HIV testing accessibility.

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.

Game-Changing Solution for Enhanced HIV Testing

HIV-1 was discovered first and is more prevalent worldwide, while HIV-2 is less pathogenic and is mostly confined to West Africa.

HIV Antibody Response Raised in Patients With Tuberculosis Disease
A new study has found that the co-localization of tuberculosis disease and HIV in lymphatic tissues leads to the emergence of potent HIV antibodies.

‘Breaking new ground, Mumbai's INVEX Health revealed its plans to introduce India's first-ever oral HIV self-test, revolutionizing HIV testing with enhanced convenience and ease. # INVEX Health, #India, #HIV ’

Speaking to IANS, Anudesh Goyal, Founder, of 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.

IgM peaks earlier than IgG when a person is infected with HIV allowing earlier detection of the infection (3 weeks from infection).

"Morcheck is the only HIV oral self-test kit tested and found to be stable and effective in climatic zone 4B conditions in India," Goyal said

Latent HIV Found Seeking Refuge in the Brain
A recent study shows that HIV can go latent in the brain, and stopping therapy can restart the development of infection to AIDS.

The test requires no syringes, lancets, or needles and also eliminates the risk of needle stick injury.

Oral fluid testing also means higher participation rates and is ideal for situations where blood samples are difficult to obtain.

Advancing Convenience and Accessibility in HIV Diagnosis

Goyal told IANS that Morchek is "awaiting the DCGI approval, which is expected in a month's time".

How a Single Drop of Blood Can Detect HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
Detecting HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C virus is easy with a new ground-breaking new test that uses nothing more than a single drop of blood.

While several studies (usability and performance related) have already been conducted on the Indian population, the company is also in discussion with the National AIDS Research Institute for the clinical evaluation of the HIV self-test kit in India.

Globally almost half of the countries (98) have included HIV self-testing policies, and one-fourth of nations globally (52) are routinely implementing them. However, India is among the countries that have not yet developed a national policy on HIV self-testing.

The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS aims that 95 percent of people living with HIV must know their status, 95 percent of them should be on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of these must be virally suppressed.

ART is the treatment for HIV and involves taking a combination of medicines. While it cannot cure HIV, it can help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.

In India, as of March 2022, 77 percent of people living with HIV knew their status, 84 percent of them were on antiretroviral therapy, and 85 percent of them had viral suppression. This translates into 55 percent of total people living with HIV in India being virally suppressed in 2021-22 against the target of 86 percent of them virally suppressed by 2025-26.

Source-IANS