A panel of experts is urging federal approval of a home test for HIV — the virus that causes AIDS.

If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration follows the recommendation of the advsiory panel, consumers may be able to buy OraQuick at their drug stores in the near future.

OraQuick uses a mouth swab and has a result within 20 minutes.

The panel said in tests, OraQuick correctly identified HIV-positive people 93 percent of the time.

The experts say the home test could provide a way to expand HIV testing and fight the spread of the virus. They caution that an HIV-positive person could get a negative reading, and that the home test is not as reliable as a test carried out by medical professionals.

Last week, another FDA advisory panel recommended federal approval of a drug proven in tests to prevent HIV.