NDA warns public as fake HIV test kit circulates on the market

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Drug Authority (NDA) has raised a red flag about the popular HIV test kit dubbed UNI-Gold HIV kit, warning the public against using it.

David Nahamya, the NDA Secretary in a statement on Thursday said that they had been notified by the manufacturer of the device Trinity BioTech PLC that their last manufactured batch expired in 2019, but a similar product with the same batch number is being sold with an expiry date of Dec 05, 2020.

Nahamya said clinicians should be keen on both the batch number and expiry date before using the point of care kit as the product continues to circulate even in the neighboring Kenya.

“The batch number on the fake kit is HIV7120025 and has Trinity Biotech PLC as the manufacturer,” he added. Nahamya said the company is unaware about that batch and NDA should be notified if such a product is seen on the market.

However, because of its attributes of offering results in just a matter of minutes and being easily used in under settings where there are limited personnel and laboratory infrastructure, the Ministry of Health has recommended its use even in public facilities.

With the UNI-Gold test, results are quick and easily interpreted whereby if two lines appear in the kit after applying a blood sample, one will be positive for HIV and negative when just one line appears. Because of this, the kit is preferred by many health workers both in rural and urban settings to test for HIV infections.

The public is now being urged to use it with caution.

******

URN