Is US HIV Testing Day duplicable for China?

BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Beijing Marr Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. (Marrbio) reports a discussion, whose topic was the necessity to establish HIV Testing Day in China, has just concluded. Results revealed that more than 80% of the participants agreed that China should have their own version of the National HIV testing day.

Look to America --- The establishment of "HIV Testing Day"

The United States observed the 22nd National HIV Testing Day on June 27th. Meanwhile, three powerful Chinese news media started a survey regarding HIV testing. More than 60% of participants believe that "Passion and Curiosity are more important than Safety for their First Love." Sexual concept is well accepted in China as western countries.

"Do you think it necessary for your partner to submit to HIV testing before you sleep together?" More than 40% participants chose "Yes". This means some people have already had certain knowledge in self-prevention. For full survey results, visit http://www.china.com.cn/newphoto/2016-06/28/content_38764492.htm.

However, it is obvious that many people do not pay enough attention on self-protection for sexual behavior, although Chinese government has been educating people regarding AIDS knowledge.

Epidemic appeared new traits, the Chinese Government promotes HIV self-test

According to the data published by the Chinese Journal of AIDS & STD in April of 2016, the leading journal in AIDS, the proportion of HIV infection that is transmitted via sex has reached 94.5%.This indicates that AIDS is spreading from high-risk groups to the general population.As sex is often associated with privacy, preventing the sexual transmission of HIV is never an easy job.To counter this trend, the Chinese government continues AIDS related education and is actively encouraging AIDS testing. This includes HIV self-test.

"To encourage more people to take an HIV test, the Chinese government has launched a pilot plan in the HIV-highly-prevalent cities of Yunnan province and the Shijingshan District of Beijing," says Wu Zunyou, the head of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control Prevention of CDC,during an interview with China Daily.

As the official detection rate declines, self-testing is expected to be an effective method to detect newly infected patients. While the number of HIV tests performed rose by more than 400% between 2007 and 2015, the detection rate fell by about 50%, according to Wu, citing data from the Nationwide Epidemic Surveillance Network. To learn more about HIV testing in China, visit http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-04/21/content_24711507.htm_

Policy may boost a new industry

HIV self-test is an emerging market in both China and the US. Similar HIV self-testing products have been launched since 2012 in the US OTC market. Recently, a pilot plan involving selling HIV self-testing products in pharmacies, which was supported by the Chinese national CDC, has been conducted, while the sale of HIV self-testing kit in online stores has displayed substantial growth. Based on the data provided by T-mall, the subsidiary of the commerce giant Alibaba, the sales of HIV self-testing kit has increased from 50,000 kits to 150,000 kits between 2013 and 2014, with the number reaching 550,000 in 2015.

As listed on NEEQ, MarrBio initiated a discussion regarding AIDS testing with Southern Weekly, one of the most powerful media with the most credibility in China, XRui, a magazine which concentrates on the university community, and China.org, the authorized government portal site. Millions of people participated in this discussion.

"We aim to raise public AIDS prevention awareness and the importance of HIV testing, so that we may potentially reduce public high-risks behaviors. Being a socially responsible company, we are devoted to innovate on new technology to develop and update our products, providing an easy-to-use HIV In-Home Testing kit, Aware®. We launched our first bespoke APP 'HIV Reader'. Consumers can simply take a photo on the assay test strip, and read the result which is automatically shown on the APP. This APP makes a hit in the marketplace," says Jiang Jian, General Manager of Marrbio.

Aware®, an oral fluid HIV test kit was launched in Alibaba in late 2012. Around the same time, similar products in the US entered retail stores such as Walgreens.

"'Detection is intervention' is a critical concept that is internationally accepted, which means people may change their high-risk behaviors due to HIV detection," says Jiang, "We are driven to support the government's effort for AIDS prevention. However, all the social powers should contribute, including companies, NGOs and other associations."

News provided by Beijing Marr Bio- Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd and PuraCap Pharmaceutical LLC

About Beijing Marr Bio-Pharmaceutical Co.

Beijing Marr Bio-Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was founded in 2015 as s subsidiary of the Humanwell Healthcare Group Co., Ltd, a top 20 company in the Chinese healthcare industry.  Listed on NEEQ in 2015, Marrbio became the first non-invasive HIV test company to be traded on the Chinese stock market (Stock code: 834819). As a pioneer in the Chinese non-invasive HI testing industry, Marrbio, engages in the manufacture, research and development of in vitro HIV test Aware®, the first saliva-based HIV antibody test in China.

Forward-Looking Statement
All of the statements contained in this news release, other than statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown. Some examples of known risks are: the impact of general economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical industry, changes in the regulatory environment in the jurisdictions in which Marrbio Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd does business, fluctuations in costs, and changes to the competitive environment due to consolidation or otherwise. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE PuraCap Pharmaceutical LLC; Beijing Marr Bio-Pharmaceutical Co.