New blood screening test approved

A new blood screening test has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, which claims to reduce cross-infection rates.

Roche, which developed the technology, says the test will be able to spot more infections like HIV and hepatitis.

The cobas TaqScreen MPX Test has already seen success, screening the blood supply in Japan for the Red Cross.

Following the approval, Daniel O'Day, head of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said: "We are pleased to introduce it in the US as we continue to further invest in solutions for this critical industry."

The test uses nucleic acid to screen for irregularities in blood, which was considered an improvement on earlier examinations by the FDA.

According to Aids charity Avert, an estimated 33 million people are living with HIV/Aids with a large percentage unaware they have the virus.

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