"Becton Dickinson Unveils New AIDS Test"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Becton Dickinson Unveils New AIDS Test"

Investor's Business Daily (12/19/91), P. 11

Abstract: A new product that will test the progression of AIDS, and will cost about one-third of existing products, was introduced by the Becton Dickinson + Co. yesterday at the sixth international AIDS in Africa conference. The self-contained system is called FACScount, and will be promoted to Third World countries. The device measures the level of CD4 cells in the body. Becton's current mechanism for testing CD4 levels costs about $80,000 and requires a highly trained technician and a separate hemotology unit for separating the blood. FACScount will cost $30,000 and does not require the hematology step, nor a technician with special training to operate the machine, said Malcolm Thomas, clinical systems product manager. The machine requires approximately three minutes to test each patient, and can test up to 15 patients an hour. The accuracy rate is nearly 97 percent that of existing systems. Thomas said the system will enter clinical trials in 1992 and be offered to most of the world then, but it first must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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