Chiron Wins Approval For Early AIDS Screen

Chiron Corp. said U.S. regulators approved its test for early detection in donated blood of the viruses that cause AIDS and hepatitis C.

The system, called Procleix, has been used, at cost, to screen about 70% of the nation’s blood supply since 1999. The formal Food and Drug Administration approval will allow the company to charge its full price of $10 to $15 per donation, a spokesman for Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron said.

The nucleic acid test narrows the window between infection and detectable virus levels to 11 days from the 16-day gap with the p24 antigen test and the 22-day window with earlier antibody tests.

The company had expected the test to be approved by the FDA last year, and the delay led some analysts to reevaluate price targets for Chiron’s shares. Shares of Chiron stock rose $1.79 to close at $43.42 on Nasdaq.