The FDA has announced their recommendation that the common Pap smear should be replaced with the cobas HPV test as the standard of care for American women.
This decision was proposed by Roche, the company that manufactures the cobas HPV test.
Many strains of HPV are actually low risk, and are often left untreated because they clear up within a few years in young, healthy patients.
Most FDA recommendations are adopted without further review, and enacting this one would also mean that all positive tests, even in low-risk cases, would be followed up with a colposcopy, a procedure similar to a Pap smear--but lasting 20 minutes.
This treatment guideline would lead to countless painful and unnecessary colposcopies, more women avoiding exams due to discomfort--and huge profits for Roche.