Home HIV-test kits unauthorized for sale in Canada, Health Canada warns

TORONTO – Health Canada is warning consumers about home HIV-testing kits being sold online by the Toronto company, ACCU-METRICS.

The federal department said Monday there are no HIV-testing kits for home use authorized for use in Canada.

Neither ACCU-METRICS’s Accu-HIV 1 and 2 Saliva Test, nor any other HIV home test kits, have been evaluated by Health Canada for safety and effectiveness.

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Inaccurate results from unlicensed kits may provide Canadians with false test results, such as a failure to indicate whether HIV is present in an infected individual or giving a positive result when a person isn’t infected.

Consumers are advised to consult their health-care practitioner if they have used any HIV home-test kits and report any complaints potentially related to the kits to Health Canada by calling toll-free: 1-800-267-9675.

ACCU-METRICS has voluntarily complied with Health Canada’s instructions that this product is not to be sold to Canadians via their website. It is illegal to advertise or sell unlicensed medical devices in Canada.