‘Our HIV detection kits are reliable’

Surat-based Span Diagnostics, which manufactures diagnostic kits, has reiterated its stand that its HIV detection kits are reliable based on a recent Delhi High Court order, reports HT Correspondent.

Surat-based Span Diagnostics, which manufactures diagnostic kits, has reiterated its stand that its HIV detection kits are reliable based on a recent Delhi High Court order.

HT Image

On August 26, the court had dismissed a petition alleging that the kits were “faulty” after the National AIDS Research Institute in Pune confirmed the performance of kits as satisfactory.

The kits in question had been supplied to the National AIDS Control Organisation and were used in several states in 2006-07.

The Mumbai District AIDS Control Society had ordered the re-testing of over 70,000 people who had been tested for HIV at civic hospitals between February and May 2007 due to the controversy and the HIV testing centres at KEM and JJ Hospitals have been shut for the last two weeks.

At a press conference on Friday, Span’s chairman Pardip Desai pointed out that the company had supplied over 30 million HIV detection kits to through various government programmes and had never faced such allegations before.