Back

World's first saliva-based pregnancy test delivers breakthrough after 70 years standstill

CC Supplies

24 November 2025: SupaMed is pleased to announce that a revolutionary product – the world’s first saliva-based pregnancy test, SaliStick™ – will be available on shelves in Australian pharmacies and Coles stores from today.

 

Despite there being a wide variety of pregnancy test options available, innovation in pregnancy testing methods has remained limited. The introduction of SaliStick™ represents the most significant breakthrough in pregnancy testing in over 70 years, since the introduction of at-home urine tests in the 1960s.¹

 

The innovative approach to pregnancy testing offers women the opportunity to test anywhere, anytime, in a hygienic and non-invasive way in less than 15 minutes. Developed by Salignostics, following decades of scientific research in rapid medical detection and saliva testing, SaliStick™ detects the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) - a pregnancy hormone - through a mouth swab.² SaliStick™ has already gained recognition globally, being named by TIME Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2023.³

 

“We are proud to play a role in bringing meaningful innovation to Australia,” said Michael Cima, Director, SupaMed, a division of CC Supplies. “As one of the recognised leaders in the at-home saliva diagnostics space, we’ve noticed a significant shift towards non-invasive saliva tests since COVID. During this time, we were actively involved in making sure Australians had access to over 60 million of these tests. Convenient to use saliva tests are no longer a novelty.”

 

“This change can simply be attributed to their user-friendliness and convenience, driven by patient demand and advances in technology. It's great to see this being reflected in pregnancy testing products, allowing women to share this special milestone with their loved ones more easily now. We believe the SaliStick™ test is a genuinely disruptive product.” 

 

For a long time, women have only been able to confirm pregnancy either through at-home urine-based pregnancy tests or through a blood test in a medical setting. The role of saliva in pregnancy testing has received limited attention until recently. 

 

Saliva contains over 5,000 proteins, many of which reflect those found in blood.⁴ With validation through clinical testing and accuracy rates of 96% just one day after a missed period and 97% two days after, SaliStick™ offers an accurate, innovative and rapid alternative for at-home urine-based tests.²

 

“The ability to detect pregnancy through saliva is a remarkable step forward in women’s health. From a clinical perspective, what matters most is early and accurate detection - and saliva-based tests deliver on both fronts,” said Dr Anita Sharma, General Practitioner, Medical Director and founder of Platinum Medical Centre. “Family planning and pregnancy testing are different for everyone; it’s a very personal journey. It’s wonderful to see these innovations bringing new, easy-to-use, and accurate options to the pregnancy test market.”

 

Market research revealed that 68% of women would prefer a saliva-based pregnancy test over traditional urine tests, while 21% were open to using either method, highlighting a strong demand for more convenient and accessible alternatives.⁵

 

“As pharmacists, we see firsthand how important convenience, comfort and privacy are when it comes to reproductive health,” said Ms Riley Price, Pharmacist at Chempro Chemists. “The market trends confirm a clear preference for innovative, convenient to use products that better fit current lifestyles. We’re here to support our customers at every stage of their family planning journey, helping them navigate the options and tailor choices to suit their personal preferences and circumstances.”

 

Pregnancy testing with SaliStick™ involves three simple steps:

• Step 1: Collect saliva. Wait at least 30 minutes after eating or drinking. Place the absorbent tip in your mouth for 90 seconds.
• Step 2: Wait for 5 minutes to allow the test to process your sample.
• Step 3: Check the result.

 

SaliStick™ is now available in selected pharmacies and Coles stores nationwide.

 

For more information, visit: https://salistick.com.au

 

For detailed instructions for use, visit: https://salistick.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Salistick-IFU-Australia-proof-1-7.4.2025-RA004_UA_SSG-Rev.02-embed1-example.pdf

 

 

ENDS

 

This media release was distributed on behalf of SupaMed, the exclusive distributor of SaliStick™ in Australia. For all media enquiries, please contact Palin Communications:

 

Lucy Byrne Palin Communications + 61 400 843 389 lucy@palin.com.au

Anastasiia Nazarenko Palin Communications +61 435 977 559 anastasiia@palin.com.au

 

About SupaMED:
SupaMed is a division of CC Supplies, a wholesale business that was established in 2013. SupaMed is committed to delivering innovative medical supplies and diagnostic solutions to communities across Australia.

With a strong focus on accessibility and innovation, SupaMed offers a wide range of high-quality products, including diagnostic devices, easy-to-use self-test kits, and essential medical consumables. As one of the most experienced suppliers of rapid saliva tests in the Australian market, SupaMed has built a reputation for reliability, expertise, and trusted service.

 

Therapeutic Goods Administration details:

• ARTG number: 470887
• Sponsor: CC Supplies Pty Ltd
• Sponsor postal address: 25/1 Porter Street, Byron Bay, NSW, 2481 Australia

 

Warnings and Precautions

 

PLEASE READ ALL THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THE INSERT BEFORE PERFORMING THE TEST.

• For saliva use only • Single-use device. Do not reuse • For in-vitro diagnostics use • Intended for self-testing • For external use only • Do not use after the expiration date stamped on the side of the package box • Keep out of the reach of children • Store in a dry place at room temperature (15 ºC–25 ºC). • Do not freeze • Do not use if the foil pouch or outer package is damaged • Wait at least 30 minutes after eating or drinking of any kind • At 1 day after missed period approximately 5% of women may have a false negative result. The accuracy of the device will improve with testing after the 1st day after missed period. If you think that you are pregnant you should repeat the test in 24-48 hours to improve the detection of low levels of hCG in your saliva.

 

 

About the Test

Saliva is a complex fluid which contains many biological markers and a variety of hormones. The levels of these hormones are significantly lower than in serum/blood or urine. Therefore, only an extremely sensitive test will enable their detection (1-4). When you are pregnant, your body produces the pregnancy hormone, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). A portion of this hormone travels from the blood to the saliva. Salignostics has developed the unique SaliStick™ saliva pregnancy test. SaliStick™ saliva pregnancy test can detect low levels of hCG in saliva. The kit is based on a lateral ow immunoassay (LFIA). This is the same principle used by other pregnancy tests. In laboratory testing with saliva samples of pregnant women 1 day after their missed period, SaliStick™ saliva pregnancy test gave over 95% positive results. When to use the Test SaliStick™ saliva pregnancy test can detect hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in saliva 1 day after your missed period, when your period is regular. You can use the test at any time of the day (30 minutes after drinking or eating).

 

References

1. Helen King (2023) A brief history of pregnancy tests: from toads and rabbits to rosewater. Available at: https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-pregnancy-tests-from-toads-and-rabbits-to-rosewater-206155
2. SaliStick (2025) SaliStick™ – The World’s First Saliva Pregnancy Test. Available at: https://salistick.com.au/
3. Stokel-Walker, C. (2023) 'Salistick: A Saliva Pregnancy Test', TIME, 24 October. Available at: https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2023/6326907/salistick/
4. Grassl, N., Kulak, N. A., Pichler, G., Geyer, P. E., Jung, J., Schubert, S., Sinitcyn, P., Cox, J., & Mann, M. (2016) 'Ultra-deep and quantitative saliva proteome reveals dynamics of the oral microbiome', Genome Medicine, 8(1), Article 44. Available at: https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13073-016-0293-0
5. SupaMed. Data on file.