Favor teams up with imaware to provide at-home STI testing

The healthtech testing company imaware has partnered with the digital healthcare platform Favor to offer at-home sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing.

The at-home STI test aims to give women an accurate picture of their reproductive health and improve patient experience.

STIs impact one in five Americans. The pandemic has further exacerbated the prevalence of STIs in the US, with the CDC reporting that the rates of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis surpassing 2019 levels.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine has also found the pandemic had adverse effects on sexual health screening, causing declines in testing.

The Texas-based company imaware has developed its first at-home STI test in an effort to encourage more women to get tested.

The test measures eight key biomarkers to screen for STIs like: gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma genitalium (MG), ureaplasma urealyticum, syphilis and herpes.

“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 customised 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,” she added.

Jani Tuomi, founder of imaware, said: “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.

“imaware was created to make scientifically validated tools for screening and monitoring health more accessible and convenient,” Tuomi added.

“We are extremely proud to be partnering with Favor, a company closely aligned with our own mission.”

Favor patients will be eligible to purchase the STI test immediately through Favor’s digital platform.