SPIT AT THE QUESTION: ISRAELI COMPANY DEVELOPS FIRST SALIVA-BASED PREGNANCY TEST

Spit at the Question: Israeli Company Develops First Saliva-based Pregnancy Test

The at-home test, called Salistick, can detect the hormone β-hCG as early as the first day of a missed period, compared to ten days after a missed period, which is standard with most at-home urine tests – and with 96 percent accuracy

March 24th, 14PM March 24th, 16PM

Peeing on a stick to determine pregnancy could become a thing of the past thanks to an Israeli-developed product that allows women to test for pregnancy using their saliva.

Salistick, as the test is called, was developed by the Jerusalem-based company Salignostics and employs the same proprietary saliva-based hormone detection technology the company first used in 2020 to design their rapid antigen saliva kit to test for Covid-19. The at-home pregnancy test can detect the pregnancy hormone β-hCG as early as the first day of a missed period, compared to ten days after a missed period, which is standard with most at-home urine tests – and with 96 percent accuracy.

"In a lot of ways, saliva is the holy grail of diagnostics," explained Dr. Guy Krief, the company's co-founder and deputy chief executive officer. "It contains over 5,000 identified proteins that mirror the physiological state of blood, but with much more usability for the patient to do the test at home, on themselves."

Despite these advantages, using saliva as a diagnostic tool is not without its challenges. "In developing our technology, we came up against a series of obstacles," Krief said. "For example, if I took a saliva sample from you right now, in two hours the sample would look completely different. But once we were able to crack this problem, we could then capture any biomarker we defined."

After soft launching their product in the U.K. and Sweden – where they have sold over 100,000 units – last year, Salignostics had originally planned to debut the test on the Israeli market on October 8, 2023, just one day after Hamas' attack on southern Israel that left over 1,200 citizens killed.

"Obviously, those plans changed," said Krief. "Every few weeks we would have a meeting and decide 'not now, not yet' until it felt like the right time."

The right time turned out to be earlier this month, when Salistick hit the shelves of Super-Pharm, Israel's largest drugstore, at a launch price of 24.90 shekels ($6.84) that will eventually be set at 33.90 shekels ($9.31) "It's comparable to the price of the higher-end urine tests," Krief said. The company also plans to use social media influencers as well as user testimonials to promote their product, as they did for their U.K. and Sweden debuts.

"Our years of market research gave us lots of reasons why a saliva test is preferable to the traditional urine test," Krief explained. "But we identified three primary reasons. First, it's a much easier user experience. There's basically a mini-lab inside the test that processes the sample without the woman even realizing it. No need for her to handle any chemical solutions or perform complex operations. Second, you can take the test anywhere you want," Krief continued. "Your car, your living room. No need to find a bathroom or wait until you have to urinate. And third, you can do the test with the people that you would like to share the moment with – a partner, family, friends, etc."

In addition to "overwhelmingly positive global feedback," according to Krief, Time Magazine also named Salistick one of the 200 Best Inventions of 2023. Krief and his fellow developers now have their eye on large markets abroad including Norway, Australia and most notably the United States, which would require approval from the Food and Drug administration. The test has already received approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health and the European Union (CE).

But Salignostics isn't stopping at Covid and pregnancy tests. "Our aim is to remove the bottlenecks that occur at the diagnostic stage," according to Krief. "We are working on at-home STD testing as well as one for streptococcus (strep) infections, which would eliminate the need for the uncomfortable swab test that is currently used."

"Eventually, these tests will all be done at home. You'll take the test and your doctor will automatically receive the results and can send you back a prescription without you needing to go into the office."

2024-03-24T12:39:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd