Wednesday, Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (CHD) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its FIRST RESPONSE Early Result Pregnancy Test, which is based on patent-pending Polymeric Amplification Technology that can detect the pregnancy hormone at lower levels than existing tests in the market.
The FIRST RESPONSE test can detect pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, commonly known as hCG, up to six days before the day of a woman's missed period, the company said. The company also claimed that it can detect pregnancy one day before any other at-home pregnancy test available in the market.
FIRST RESPONSE pregnancy kits work by detecting the presence of hCG in a woman's urine. Polymeric Amplification Technology increases the overall sensitivity of the testing device, resulting in better detection of the pregnancy hormone. HCG begins to appear in a pregnant woman 8-10 days after fertilization. The amount of hCG doubles every 36-48 hours as the pregnancy progresses.
Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine, said, "A pregnancy test with results this early sets the stage for a healthy baby and a healthy mother. This latest advancement means pregnant women can initiate a healthier lifestyle even sooner in the critical first stages of a baby's development. Women who want results quickly will undoubtedly have less anxiety when taking this at-home test."
CHD is losing $0.22 or 0.36%, and is trading at $60.73 on a volume of 84 thousand shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
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