The dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic test, the cornerstone of Evidence Action's Syphilis-Free Start program, has dropped to a record low price of $0.84. This milestone, announced by SD Biosensor through its partnership with MedAccess and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), strengthens an already compelling case for investment in maternal syphilis elimination.
Evidence Action was recognized as a partner in this effort, which complements our Syphilis-Free Start work currently scaled across Liberia, Zambia, and Cameroon.
Through Syphilis-Free Start, Evidence Action helps governments integrate HIV/syphilis dual screening into existing prenatal care systems through a technical assistance model that trains healthcare workers, strengthens supply chains and improves data systems. The dual test delivers results in minutes, and women who test positive can be treated the same day with a single shot of penicillin costing less than 50 cents.
At $0.84, the dual test adds just pennies to the cost of HIV screening that's already happening. This makes maternal syphilis screening and treatment one of the most cost-effective interventions in global health.
Our Results
The results we're seeing across our current footprint demonstrate that elimination is within reach:
- Liberia: 8% → 88% screening coverage in 4 years; 1,000 lives saved
- Zambia: 90% screening at trained facilities; 84% national coverage
- Cameroon: 16,000+ healthcare workers trained across 1,600+ facilities
This year, we’re bringing Syphilis-Free Start to Côte d'Ivoire, where we expect to reach 3.6 million pregnant women and prevent more than 17,000 adverse birth outcomes over the next five years.
A Growing Opportunity
With support from Pivotal’s Action for Women’s’ Health initiative, launched by Melinda French Gates, we’re also catalyzing a broader ecosystem of collaboration: governments leading national scale-up, new partners joining, and major funders aligning behind a rare, tractable opportunity to eliminate congenital syphilis.
The MedAccess partnership demonstrates what's possible when manufacturers, funders, and implementing organizations coordinate around a shared goal. As the dual test market matures and prices stabilize, the opportunity to eliminate congenital syphilis becomes increasingly tractable.
Read the full MedAccess article →
