From Investing.com: 2024-11-15 01:10:37

Global health advocates are calling for the price of a key mpox diagnostic test to be reduced from $20 to $5 to improve testing rates in poorer countries. Cepheid’s GeneXpert mpox test, approved by the WHO, is too expensive for countries like Congo, where cases are rising.

Mpox, a global public health emergency, causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Testing is hindered by a lack of affordable tests. Activists, including Public Citizen and Medecins Sans Frontieres, urge Cepheid to lower test cartridge prices to $5 for African countries fighting outbreaks.

Cepheid’s test is crucial in Africa, where machines for processing results are available. Advocates base the $5 price tag on research showing tests can be produced for less. Lower prices could help health agencies meet the recent WHO approval to increase testing capacity.



Read more at Investing.com: Health advocates press Cepheid for cheaper mpox tests By Reuters