The World Health Organization has prequalified the first self-test for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), a test that “can provide critical support in expanding access to testing and diagnosis, accelerating global efforts to eliminate hepatitis C,” explains the WHO. The OraQuick HCV self-test, produced by the US-based OraSure Technologies, is the extension of a rapid test to which the Geneva-based agency granted prequalification for professional use in 2017. The self-test version, “designed specifically for use by lay people,” not healthcare professionals, “provides a single kit containing the components needed to perform the self-test.”
“Every day, 3,500 people die from viral hepatitis,” said Meg Doherty, WHO Director, Global Programmes on HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. “Of the 50 million people living with hepatitis C, by the end of 2022, only 36% had been diagnosed and just 20% had received curative treatment. Adding this product to the WHO prequalification list offers a safe and effective way to scale up HCV testing and treatment services, ensuring that more people receive the diagnosis and treatment they need, thereby contributing to the global goal of eliminating the hepatitis C virus.”
“The availability of a WHO-prequalified HCV self-test – highlights Rogério Gaspar, Director of the Department of Regulation and Prequalification of the United Nations health agency – allows low- and middle-income countries to access safe and affordable self-testing options, essential to reach the goal of diagnosing 90% of people” who have contracted hepatitis C virus infection.
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