WHO's analyis and test results
Here are links to WHO's analysis of HIV tests. Notice there are only three Urine tests in report, and there are no rapid urine tests (pre-ANI), All rapid tests are blood based. so even the cheapest rapid blood test (at .60 in '95) still requires blood to be drawn thus adding expense. Even if Calypte sold thier test kits at $3.00 it would still be cheaper on a per test basis.
whole blood
http_//
www.who.int/entity/diagnostics_laboratory/...en/hiv_assays_rep_12.pdfurine & saliva
http_//
www.who.int/entity/diagnostics_laboratory/...en/hiv_assays_rep_13.pdfrapid (blood)
http_//
www.who.int/entity/diagnostics_laboratory/...en/hiv_assays_rep_14.pdf you do the Math..
by: readssthe10qs
present cost to produce urine lab tests, approximately $ 2 . (This doesn't include about $10 million in overhead S,G,and A expenses.)
New costs of rapid test to Abbott, Bio-rad, Ani etc. = $ .25 per test.
Cost to produce = $ 2.25 per test.
A. If Marr gets 50% of Profit on each Chinese test and cost of production remains constant at what porice must HIV sell their tests just to make a $ .50 gross profit per test.
B. If Marr gets 50% of profit and tests in China are sold at $ 1.50 as per Tony Cataldo's speeches (only 50% above market competitors)
at what price must HIV manufacture the tests in China to net a $.50 profit per test?
.....
A. $ 3.25, or 3.25 times what other rapid tests are being sold for. Then there is that pesky 10 million in overhead to cover, but thats breaks even at 20 million tests or 65 million in total sales at $ 3.25 per test.
B. $ .50 per test production cost about a than a fourth of the present cost of the lab urine test, before the additional $ .25 pet test is added for new patent holders. So that means a $ .25 per test production cost on a comparison basis with the $ 2.00 present cost of urione lab test.
Yep all they have to do is lower the production cost from $ 2.00 per test to $ .25 per test and sell 20 million tests at $ 1.50 per test (or 1.5 times what all their competitors are selling for) to break even.
Wait a sec I forgot to put in a cost factor of the distributors selling the test. Lets be real kind and call that cost $ .10 per test .So the cost of production will need to be $ .15 per test for the $ 1.50 test to make a $ .50 gross profit per test.
You don't even want to try this math if Calypte has to charge the $ 1 price all their competitors are charging.
No wonder Dr. George didn't want to address the cost per test price.
I do appreciate Dr.George's honest answer about the possibility of FDA approving any OTC use of HIV's rapid tests. In spite of Tony Cataldo's mention of rapid tests being sold out of vending machines and the local hysters pumping it, there is no effort being made in this area.
If any of HIV's rapid tests are sold in US, wouldn't they have to be FDA approved and therefore manufactured in US to get that FDA approval?
I hope Lake Oswego is not nervous about explosive chemicals also.
Maybe they could put a sign out front of the new home offices that says:
"Urine, you could bathe in it, you could even drink it.."
Nah, maybe not.
Here is a picture of Roy Hinkley when HIV makes a SEC filing.
http://www.msnusers.com/cmkx2/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=48 ....duh.....POPULATION OF CHINA IS 1.4 BILLION
Less than 1% of the chinese population is being tested for HIV right now.
The Chinese government wants to implement testing for everyone. First with sex trade workers - 30 Million - (basically the entire population of Canada) being tested 1x per quarter = 120M HIV tests
Add mandatory testing of convicts - 50Million
Next, the Chinese government wants to test all women of childbearing years - 200-300 Million
Abbott is "donating" 1 Million free rapid BLOOD tests WORLDWIDE... That wouldn't even test 0.5% of the PG women in China.
Name a company that makes enough $1 rapid blood HIV tests to test all the PG women in China, who's over there right now selling their product! Go ahead & name them or shut up!
And don't forget the Chinese culture - many are illiterate. Go to a bank on Mainline china & people still use Chop-Block banking (basically an ivory block that is used as a signature stamp) b/c people can't read/write. The government will never be able to test it's population effectively if blood has to be drawn.
Take a look at the Chinese communist system. How do they maintain a 1 child policy? Illiterate villagers are monitored by district health people. In some villages, only the district health nurse is literate.
People don't like dealing with blood.
Gruß
C.O