The Siemens Healthcare Enzygnost HIV Integral 4 assay 1, an HIV test mainly intended for use in blood banks or laboratories, delivers accurate results quickly and reliably, enabling clinicians to identify HIV infection earlier and improve patient care. This new assay is an HIV combination test (or HIV Combo test), a type of assay that detects both the HIV p24 antigen and HIV antibodies, and is increasingly becoming the standard screening technique used by healthcare authorities in many countries within the European Union.

The development of the new HIV assay demonstrates the company's innovative power, one of the goals of Siemens Healthcare Initiative 'Agenda 2013'."The increased sensitivity of the HIV Integral 4 assay enables treatment earlier, and its high specificity provides our blood bank customers with confidence that the results are precise, enhancing the accuracy of their donor screening programs" commented Mr Stefan Wolf, CEO, Hemostasis Hematology and Specialty Business Unit, Siemens Healthcare, Diagnostics Division.

The Enzygnost HIV Integral 4 assay delivers both excellent specificity and sensitivity. In a study of 14,169 donor samples tested at three different blood banks, initial specificity was demonstrated at 99.94%. Data also show that the HIV Integral Assay has higher sensitivity and provides superior seroconversion performance (quicker prevalence of the antibody) compared to other currently available assays, detecting HIV infection up to 14days earlier.