Scam Alert: Terry Goddard Cautions Consumers Not to Purchase Globus Media Diagnostic Kits Sold Over the Internet

(Phoenix, Ariz. – March 21, 2005)  Attorney General Terry Goddard today warned consumers not to use unapproved home-use diagnostic test kits that have been made available over the Internet by Canadian firm Globus Media.  The manufacturer claims these kits will detect everything from pregnancy to Dengue Fever to marijuana use. 

Goddard cautioned consumers that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved these home-use kits and are not approved for sale in the United States.

“Consumers using these home-use kits might get false results that could lead unfavorable health consequences,” Goddard said.  “If someone has recently ordered one of these kits and used it, he or she should visit their primary care doctor and get retested.”

The Globus Media home-use kits are labeled as:

  • Rapid HIV Test Kit
  • Rapid Syphilis Test Kit
  • One Step Cassette Style Cocaine Test
  • One Step Cassette Style Marijuana (THC) Test
  • One Step Cassette Style Amphetamine Test
  • Rapid Dengue Fever Test
  • One Step Midstream Style HCG Urine (Home)
  • Pregnancy Test

The home-use kits are sent in a paper envelope with instructions inside the packaging, and the type of kit appears on the instructions.  The FDA also stated that no home-use test kits intended for diagnosing HIV, syphilis, and dengue fever are approved for sale in the U.S. For more information about these home-use kits, please visit the FDA Web site at www.fda.gov.

Please visit the Arizona Attorney General’s website at www.azag.gov for additional information about scam alerts and advisories.