NEW YORK (360Dx) – OraSure Technologies today announced an agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to make the firm's HIV test available in 50 countries at a reduced price.
The Gates Foundation will provide funding in order to make the OraQuick HIV Self-Test available at an affordable price in 50 developing countries in Africa and Asia, including Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Non-governmental agencies in eligible countries that receive funding from government or public sector agencies — such as the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, the Global Fund, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and UNITAID — will have access to the test at reduced pricing as a result of the funding by the Gates Foundation.
The funding will be provided as support payments tied to the volume of the OraQuick HIV test sold as part of the deal. It also will reimburse for certain related costs. Under the terms of the agreement, the foundation will provide funding of no more than $20 million over the four-year term of the deal, and no more than $6 million each year.
The OraQuick HIV Self-Test is a rapid, point-of-care test that detects antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 with an oral swab. Results can be achieved in as little as 20 minutes.
The Gates Foundation is providing the funding as part of its program-related investments strategy, which aims to encourage private sector-driven innovation, as well as drive market-driven efficiencies, and attract external investments to high-priority global health and development initiatives that improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable people.