The simple Strip Test is capable of detecting the antibody of nevirapine, the most common ingredient of the antiretroviral treatment used by Thais living with HIV/Aids.

Basically, the test was designed for doctors or healthcare workers to use in following up whether their patients took their drugs regularly as required, said Assistant Professor Chatchai Tayapiwatana, of Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, who developed the kit with another researcher.

Proven to have equal accuracy to a standard test called HPLC, the new test can give a result in just 10 minutes after applying blood to a strip, said Chatchai.

The study results demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of the test appeared in the International Journal of Pure and Analytical Chemistry.

Before the development of this test, when doctors needed to know if their patients had taken an antiretroviral consistently, they were required to send blood samples for testing in a large laboratory, which was not available at any hospital, said Chatchai.

Antiretroviral resistance is a major problem among HIV patients, he said, adding that a major factor was the inconsistency of the patient's drug-taking.

Without efficient testing, the resistance problem usually emerged when the patient began to have symptoms of Aids, which was a bit too late, Chatchai said.

When resistant to an antiretroviral drug, an HIV patient was forced to move on to a new regimen of drugs, which normally was much more expensive and could have stronger side-effects, he said.

Unlike the traditional laboratory test, a user does not need specialist knowledge to use the new kit, which is similar to a pregnancy-test strip. The test kit is to cost about Bt100 when it comes onto the market, said Chatchai, adding that Ark Diagnostics Inc in the US had signed an agreement to mass-produce it for sale worldwide.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation