CBC’s As It Happens spoke with Dr. Sean B. Rourke, director of REACH Nexus, to break down the recent approval of Canada’s first HIV self-test.
Dr. Rourke served as the principal investigator for a clinical trial that paved the way for regulatory approval of a finger-prick blood test for HIV.
“Canada has approved its first self-test for HIV, and fewer undiagnosed Canadians will fall through the cracks as a result,” said Dr. Rourke.
On Nov. 3, 2020, Health Canada granted a medical device licence to B.C.-based bioLytical Laboratories for a one-minute HIV blood test.
Rourke, a scientist with the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said the approval could be a “game changer” in a country where—despite major advances in HIV prevention and treatment—HIV rates continue to rise.
Read the full story and listen to the interview at CBC.ca.
