A No-Wait HIV Test

A Pennsylvania-based company is about to begin selling the first in-home HIV test. Users swab saliva from their mouth, and in 20 minutes, the OraQuick can detect HIV-specific proteins. It’s easier and faster than other over-the-counter HIV tests, which require people to mail a blood sample to a lab. Health officials hope such simple, private procedures will encourage more people to get tested for the virus that causes AIDS. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 230,000 of the 1.1 million Americans with HIV don’t know they have it.

Product: OraQuick Rapid Antibody Test
Cost: $17.50 for medical centers; ?consumer price not yet set.
Availability: October 2012
Companies: OraSure Technologies