Thursday, February 22, 2024
BD, a renowned global medical technology firm, has unveiled a groundbreaking collaboration with Camtech Health, a digital health company specializing in at-home health testing. This partnership aims to revolutionize cervical cancer screening by introducing the first-ever option for women in Singapore to self-collect samples in the comfort and privacy of their homes.
The innovative program merges Camtech Health's HPV (human papillomavirus) self-collection test with BD's Onclarity™ HPV Assay. The Onclarity™ HPV Assay is a clinically validated test capable of detecting 14 high-risk HPV strains simultaneously. This initiative seeks to address the low rate of cervical cancer screening in Singapore, where less than half of eligible women undergo testing.
In Singapore, barriers such as lack of time, embarrassment, fear, and inconvenience hinder women from undergoing screening. Prior to this program, HPV testing was only available in hospital or clinic settings, involving speculum examinations and clinician sample collections. However, cervical cancer is preventable, and precancer is curable. Programs like this support the national goal of eliminating cervical cancer.
By allowing women to self-collect samples, this program enhances access to HPV testing, empowering women to collect samples privately at their convenience. Moreover, the reliability of self-collected samples is comparable to those collected by clinicians.
The Camtech Health HPV test, facilitated by the Camtech Health app, simplifies the process with easy-to-follow steps. Samples are then sent via postage-paid packaging provided in the kit. The samples undergo analysis using the BD Onclarity™ HPV Assay and the BD Viper™ LT fully automated integrated molecular testing system. Results, reviewed by physicians, are provided on the app along with virtual consultations to discuss any abnormalities.
This approach allows clinicians to focus on women at the highest risk while avoiding over-treatment of those at very low risk by enabling risk stratification directly from the screening sample. The BD Onclarity™ HPV Assay received the industry's first CE Mark for HPV screening from at-home self-collected vaginal samples.
Source: prnewswire.com
