Inverness Medical Innovations, a leading provider of near-patient diagnostics, monitoring and health management solutions, announced the introduction of its new 4th generation rapid HIV diagnostic test, the Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo, at the International AIDS conference (AIDS 2008) in Mexico City. The test will be introduced to the developing world during the third quarter, and in certain other markets during 2009.

What differentiates the new test is that it is capable of detecting HIV infections earlier than HIV antibody only tests. The Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo is the first rapid diagnostic which enables simultaneous detection of HIV p24 antigen (Ag) and antibodies (Ab) for HIV-1 and HIV-2 in human serum, plasma or whole blood.

The p24 antigen is present during the first few weeks of HIV infection and can be identified before HIV antibodies are produced, making it an ideal marker to aid in early HIV detection. By targeting p24 antigen as well as the HIV antibody response, Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo improves the ability to detect and diagnose acute (early) HIV infection. The Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo is a rapid, point-of-care lateral flow test which provides clear visual results in 20-minutes. The simple to use format enables HIV testing to be conducted in a broad range of clinical settings, from the physician's office to the most remote environments of the developing world.