New HIV Test Helps Save Lives

Abbott’s breakthrough viral load testing product brings fast, accurate results in remote areas.

Diagnostics Testing|Jul.24, 2018

Imagine a woman living with HIV walking 10 kilometers in intense heat to get to a health clinic to take a test that measures the amount of HIV in her body. Then she has to walk back the same distance again a few weeks later to get her test results. Think about the physical hardships of her journey. Imagine the emotional and mental strain as she travels to find out whether her HIV treatment has been successful.

This is the plight of millions of people living with HIV in resource-limited areas of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America.

However, this no longer needs to be the case.

Abbott’s newest solution, the m-PIMA™ HIV-1/2 VL is the first viral load monitoring test at the point of care. It has been designed to provide healthcare professionals – especially in remote and underserved communities – with a fast, accurate, and easy-to-use test to help manage their patients’ HIV.

The m-PIMA™ HIV-1/2 VL test joins Abbott’s broad portfolio of HIV diagnostic solutions that span the entire continuum of care for people at risk of and living with HIV. Diagnostics are a vital component of a holistic effort to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 Goals and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

"The integration of point-of-care viral load solutions in healthcare networks will be instrumental in achieving UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 goals," said Professor Matilu Mwau, Director at the Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Control Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Busia, Kenya. "Viral load testing is critical for the monitoring of individual treatment response, the effective use of costly antiretroviral medications, and to track the emergence of resistance in people who are HIV-positive."1

Portable and robust, the m-PIMA platform can help address issues around infrastructure obstacles, shortage of skilled clinicians, logistical challenges and inefficient systems for providing results to patients.

The m-PIMA HIV-1/2 VL test is now commercially available in select countries. Data has been submitted for CE-IVD marking and WHO prequalification. This product is not available in the United States.

1UNAIDS (2014) 90-90-90 An ambitious target to help end the AIDS epidemic. Available on https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/909090

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