The saliva-based test called Morcheck is the only third-generation HIV test currently using oral fluid rather than blood
Posted Date – 07:40 AM, Wed – 21 June 23
New Delhi: Mumbai-based INVEX Health will soon launch India’s first oral HIV self-test, the company announced on Tuesday.
The saliva-based test, called Morcheck, is currently the only third-generation HIV test that uses oral fluid rather than blood. It tests for HIV 1 and 2.
HIV-1 was first identified and is more prevalent worldwide, whereas HIV-2 is less pathogenic and largely confined to West Africa.
INVEX Health founder Anudesh Goyal told IANS in an interview that Morcheck can detect the antibodies – IgG, IgA and IgM – produced in response to HIV infection, enabling earlier detection of the disease.
When a person is infected with HIV, IgM peaks earlier than IgG, allowing earlier detection of infection (3 weeks post-infection).
“Morcheck is the only HIV oral self-test kit that has been tested and found to be stable and effective in India’s climate zone 4B conditions,” said Goyal
The test does not require a syringe, lancet or needle and also eliminates the risk of needlestick injury.
Oral fluid testing also means higher participation rates and is ideal for situations where blood samples are difficult to obtain.
Goyal told IANS that Morchek is “waiting for approval from DCGI, which is expected to be completed within a month.”
While several studies (related to usability and performance) have been conducted in the Indian population, the company is also in discussions with the National AIDS Institute for a clinical evaluation of the HIV self-test kit in India.
Nearly half of the world’s countries (98) have incorporated HIV self-testing policies and a quarter of the world’s countries (52) are doing so on a regular basis. However, India is one of the countries that has yet to have a national policy on HIV self-testing.
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS aims for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of them to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of them to be virally suppressed.
ART is a treatment for HIV that involves a combination of medicines. While it won’t cure HIV, it can help people living with HIV live longer and healthier lives.
In India, as of March 2022, 77% of people living with HIV knew their status, 84% of them were on antiretroviral treatment, and 85% of them were virally suppressed. This means that 55% of people living with HIV in India will be virally suppressed by 2021-22, against the target of 86% by 2025-26.
