Digital health solutions company imaware announced its collaboration with digital healthcare platform Favor (formerly The Pill Club) to offer at-home sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing for it’s more than 220K patients across the country. This custom, one-of-a-kind test kit goes beyond existing at-home STI tests on the market to provide women and people who menstruate with a more comprehensive and accurate picture of their reproductive health. The STI test, and customer experience, leverages advanced capabilities of imaware, a leader in testing technology and digital health.
Why does it matter?
As an antidote to the screening gap, imaware has developed its first at-home STI test that is accessible, convenient and accurate. The test measures 8 key biomarkers to screen for STIs like: gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma genitalium (MG), ureaplasma urealyticum, syphilis and herpes (two biomarkers).
Favor patients will be eligible to purchase the STI test immediately through Favor’s digital platform. All imaware testing kits are fully HIPAA compliant and work with labs that are certified by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
On the record
“Our patients have a diverse set of needs when it comes to their reproductive care and we want to empower them by offering the tools they need to live healthy, happy lives,” said Liz Meyerdirk, CEO of Favor. “imaware has been a trusted partner throughout this process – from building a customized STI test kit to creating a seamless back-end experience so that our patients can easily view their results and next steps. This test will be instrumental in enabling our patients to detect STIs earlier from the comfort of their home.”
“Favor deeply understands women’s health and how unique each patient’s journey can be. STI testing is more than just a box and what’s inside; it’s critical to understand the worries and challenges that patients face when they go to get tested — from cost of testing to sensitivities around discretion,” said Jani Tuomi, founder of imaware. “imaware was created to make scientifically validated tools for screening and monitoring health more accessible and convenient and we are extremely proud to be partnering with Favor, a company closely aligned with our own mission.”
The context
STIs impact 1 in 5 Americans and are on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the prevalence of STIs in the United States, with the CDC reporting that the rates of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis surpassed 2019 levels. Moreover, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the pandemic had adverse effects on sexual health screening, causing significant declines in testing.