KARACHI – Aklima Clinical Research (ACR), an independent subsidiary of Organon BioSciences (OBS group of companies), has introduced innovative diagnostic kits that can be easily used to carry out home-based tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, dengue and hepatitis B/C infections. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, ACR Managing Director Amjad Moinuddin mentioned that heart attack, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, dengue and hepatitis B and C can be diagnosed with ACR’s new kits.
“Each kit has all the components required to perform one complete test and do not require any reagents or syringes,” he added. Moinuddin said that after extensive market research, the ACR concluded that the general public did not have easy access to various diagnostic tests at reasonable prices.
“Many of them do not go for these critical tests often resulting in delayed and costly treatment afterwards as well as fatal complications,” he said.
He said that for heart attack, where every second counts, the diagnostic kit of choice is TROP PLUS, which gives results within one minute.
It is cost effective and in fact so easy to use that the test can be performed at home as well, he added. “We have launched the HIV CHEX diagnostic kit for HIV detection with greater than 99 percent accuracy, formally for the first time ever in Pakistan, coupled with public awareness,” said Moinuddin. Due to social restrictions, most of the people are reluctant to get diagnosed for HIV and the HIV CHEX is an easy way to test for the disease at home. The kit, available with all chemists, has all the components to perform one complete test and saves time by giving results within 15 minutes.
Talking about the tuberculosis test kit called TB CHEX, Moinuddin said tuberculosis is rapidly spreading in Pakistan and the TB diagnostic kit is the first of its kind to be ever launched in Pakistan, and beats all other costly and time consuming tests for tuberculosis with more than 99 percent accuracy and gives results within 15 minutes, saving valuable time.
For diagnosing malaria within a few minutes, the MAL CHEX is the first diagnostic kit of its kind to be formally introduced in Pakistan with widespread availability. The kit also differentiates between the two main parasites that cause malaria with an accuracy of greater than 99 percent, said the ACR managing director.
During the press conference, ACR Clinical Research Associate Dr Maria Wahaj said that around 400,000 new cases of tuberculosis are reported annually in Pakistan; a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds; while HIV, typhoid, dengue and hepatitis are also fatal. “Anyone who gets affected with these diseases needs immediate diagnostic tests so that treatment may be started as usually a patient suffers a lot in the absence of proper diagnostic facilities. Dengue is endemic in Pakistan, rapidly spreading from province to province and the fatal complications of dengue due to delays in diagnosis are quite alarming,” she added.
“We have introduced these kits, which are very affordable and easy to use, for the immediate diagnosis of such diseases” said Wahaj.
Too shy to go to lab? don’t sweat – Home-based diagnostic kits launched in country
