A test that detects human papillomavirus, a virus directly related to cervical cancer, has hit the market following approval by the China Food and Drug Administration.

"The careHPV test is faster, better and cheaper," says Qiao Youlin, a respected epidemiologist, who headed a research project into the development of careHPV between 2003 and 2008. The research was assisted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which contributed $13 million to the project.

In 2007, Qiao's team conducted a clinical performance trial on 2,388 women in Shanxi province.