By Erika Icon
YNOT – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new over-the-counter HIV test, but adult performers shouldn’t expect to see it adopted by the adult entertainment industry anytime soon, according to a spokeswoman for the organization that tracks performer health status.
OraQuick, developed by Bethlehem, Pa.-based OraSure Technologies, is the first FDA-approved HIV test consumers can administer to themselves at home and see their results nearly right away. A quick swab of the mouth reportedly delivers a response within 20 to 40 minutes.
According to Diane Duke, executive director of adult industry trade association Free Speech Coalition, OraQuick does not meet minimum standards for reliability and sensitivity established by Adult Production Health & Safety Services, an FSC division tasked with tracking and preventing disease outbreaks on adult movie sets. The test may never be one upon which adult performers can rely, Duke said.
“Any new developments in HIV testing and treatment are exciting,” she told YNOT.com. “However, this test is not appropriate for adult performers. The home rapid test does not pick up acute infections —infections that have happened within the past three months. Moreover, there is a higher likelihood of false positives and negatives with this test” than with the Aptima HIV-1RNA Qualitative Assay APHSS requires as proof that a performer is available to work in scenes during which sexual contact takes place.
“FSC’s APHSS uses the most sensitive, state-of-the-art HIV tests for adult performers,” Duke continued. “These tests detect HIV within nine to 11 days [of exposure] with a very low rate of false positives or negatives. Furthermore, all of our tests are ordered and reviewed by medical professionals, thus further reducing the risk of error.”
The OraQuick test is aimed at people who would not seek testing otherwise. According to the U.S. government, an estimated 240,000 of the 1.2 million people who carry the HIV virus are unaware of it.
The results of the OraQuick kit aren’t 100-percent accurate, but OraSure maintains the test correctly detects the virus about 92 percent of the time. In layman’s terms: The test delivers a false negative result once in every 12 uses. Statistics indicate the test is more accurate among uninfected people, delivering correct results 99-percent of the time.
When doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals administer more traditional tests in clinical settings, the results are 99 percent accurate for both carriers and non-carriers of the virus.
This isn’t the first time the FDA has approved an at-home HIV test kit. A previous version required a blood sample be sent to a laboratory for results. OraQuick is seen as an advance because it allows more privacy and a quicker diagnosis.
OraSure plans a market test starting in October, when the company will make the product available at major retailers including Walgreens, CVS and Walmart, along with online pharmacies. Although the company hasn’t assigned a price tag yet, it expects to offer the consumer version for less than $60. OraSure also plans to provide test users with a toll-free number to call for counseling and medical referrals.
The OraQuick version available to health professionals is expected to cost significantly less: about $17.50 per test.
