| Abstract: | On August 6, 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first urine test to detect HIV antibodies. The FDA states that the urine test, developed by Calypte Biomedical Corp. of Berkeley, CA, should not be used to screen donors at blood banks and should be used only as a supplemental diagnostic tool because it is not as accurate as the standard blood-based test. The test, for use only by health care professionals and insurance companies, will be marketed by Seradum Inc. of Indianapolis under the trade name Sentinel. The price will be $40 to $50, comparable to the recently approved saliva-based tests. Advocates of the urine test say it is safer, easier, and less intrusive than blood testing. Critics say the tests are too unreliable and fear that the urine samples used in drug testing in the workplace also could be used to screen out HIV-positive job applicants. |
