The Nation - News from April 8, 1988

Federal health officials have blocked an ambitious attempt to mass-market AIDS tests for use in the home, citing concerns about accuracy and lack of medical supervision. The move preempts the plans of several companies to sell AIDS testing kits in drugstores and supermarkets, a prospect that frightened many public health officials who insist that testing without appropriate guidance does more harm than good. In a letter sent last week to companies seeking to enter the home-test market, the Food and Drug Administration set out a strict set of medical guidelines, restricting the kits to “professional use only within a comprehensive health-care environment.”