An Israeli biotech start-up recently announced that the company's "saliva pregnancy test" kit is scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2023 and will be retailed in pharmacies in Israel, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and European countries.
The start-up, Salignostics, was founded by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has long focused on research using saliva as a key diagnostic indicator. Last year, the company's researchers developed a saliva detection kit for women's pregnancy based on the technology used to detect the new coronavirus in saliva.
The company's view data shows that the kit, called SaliStick, is small in appearance and has a tubular design, which is very convenient to operate. The tester puts one end of the collection tube into the mouth to collect saliva, takes it out after a few seconds, and then sets the collection tube into the detection tube, and the result can be seen in a few minutes. Like ordinary pregnancy test strips, two lines indicate pregnancy, i.e. a high level of human chorionic gonadotropin.
Salignostics, which completed clinical trials on more than 300 pregnant and non-pregnant women in Israel last year, is currently advancing the commercialization of the kit and has begun mass production in an industrial park in northern Israel, with an estimated monthly production capacity of 1 million sets . Currently, the kit has been approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health and CE marked in the European Union, and is awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to market research by Salignostics, more than 68% of women prefer a saliva test to a traditional urine pregnancy test.
"Saliva is the most convenient and hygienic medium for detecting hormones, viruses and diseases. The saliva test is an important rapid diagnostic method. It can know whether you are pregnant without blood and urine samples. This product is expected to be favored by many women." The company said co-founder and deputy CEO Guy Cliff.
