New test holds promise for widespread HIV viral load testing in India

ExaVir Load in spotlight at HIV Congress 2008 in Mumbai

Mumbai – Cavidi introduced its ExaVir™ Load HIV viral load test to Indian clinicians at HIV Congress 2008. ExaVir Load is the only viral load test based on RT activity. This platform provides several advantages over conventional tests that could make viral load testing more accessible to the 2.5 million HIV infected people across India.

These advantages drew a great deal of interest – Cavidi’s booth attracted more visitors than any other booth at the congress. Viral load testing helps doctors use HIV medicines more effectively to extend a patient’s length and quality of life, limit the development of viral resistance and minimize waste of medication. But it has previously been inaccessible to most clinics in India.

“We’re very excited to be part of introducing ExaVir Load to India,” said Mr Rajeev Kumria, Marketing Manager at Cavidi’s Indian distributor Advy Chemical. “The response we received at the conference shows that there is a great need for a reliable and accessible viral load assay like ExaVir Load.”

HIV is on the rise in India with an estimated 2.5 million already infected. The virus began spreading rapidly in the 90’s through high-risk groups. It is now spreading into the rest of Indian society, as the geographical size of the country, the large number of people and resource-limitations present considerable challenges in dealing with the epidemic. Viral load monitoring has been particularly difficult to access, as most clinics do not have the laboratory requirements or funds to run conventional assays.

ExaVir Load gives clinics an accessible option. After getting their first look at the assay, many clinicians expressed interest in performing viral load tests in their labs.

“While research institutions in the US and UK are attracted to Cavidi’s RT platform because of its reliability in detecting subtypes, our approach has also been popular in resource-limited settings because of its low resource footprint,” said Cavidi Information Manager Kajsa Löwenhielm.

Attention was also drawn to the assay by some of the speakers at the congress. Professor Suzanne Crowe held a speech regarding the need of HIV viral load monitoring in resource-limited settings. The speech concluded that ExaVir Load is the only viral load test currently on the market suitable for use in resource-limited settings.

About Cavidi AB
Cavidi’s mission is to make medical diagnostics more accessible regardless of resource limitations. Their products include ExaVir Load which is used to quantify the amount of HIV in a patient’s blood, and ExaVir Drug which measures a patient’s resistance to HIV medicines. Cavidi was founded by leading virologists at Uppsala University in Sweden in 1984.

About Advy Chemical Ltd
Advy Chemical was incorporated in 1991 with the objective of providing quality products and services to the IVD industry, in a business-to-business fashion. Over the years, Advy Chemical has developed into a globally recognized provider of high quality reagents and components specifically tailored to suit the needs of its customers.