BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSUR), the market leader in oral fluid diagnostics, today announced its support of various rapid HIV testing initiatives in recognition of National HIV Testing Day, held each year on June 27th. National HIV Testing Day was founded by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to encourage Americans to get tested for the virus.
"National HIV Testing Day is a call to action for people in communities nationwide to learn their status so that HIV positive individuals can be connected to care and receive the treatment they need to live longer, healthy lives and reduce the spread of HIV," said Frank J. Oldham Jr., President and CEO of NAPWA. "Testing is the very first step in stemming new HIV infections and ultimately beating the epidemic. Fortunately, HIV testing is easier than ever before with rapid oral fluid testing that provides results in less than 20 minutes."
"We are very pleased to team up with NAPWA and public health departments, community-based organizations and hospitals to promote HIV testing nationwide," said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. "It is an exciting time with the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee's recent unanimous support for OraSure's over-the-counter rapid HIV test – the OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test – which we believe will be an additional tool to enable more individuals to learn their HIV status, and receive necessary care and support."
The Company's OraQuick ADVANCE® test is the first and only FDA-approved and CLIA-waived rapid point-of-care test that can detect antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 in 20 minutes, using oral fluid, finger-stick or venipuncture whole blood or plasma specimens. As the market leader, OraQuick ADVANCE® is used throughout the country in public health settings, hospitals, community-based organizations, and physician offices where HIV testing is conducted. An in-home test based on this same innovative technology – the OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test – is currently under review by FDA.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite current testing options, there are approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. that have HIV and approximately 240,000 of them are unaware of their status. Those who do not know they are HIV positive are unknowingly contributing disproportionately to the 50,000 new HIV infections that occur each year.
Key highlights of OraSure's National HIV Testing Day initiatives include:
Mayor's Campaign Against HIV
OraSure has collaborated with NAPWA to launch the 8th annual Mayors Campaign Against HIV™, a national campaign to encourage HIV testing and promote the benefits of knowing one's HIV status. NAPWA and OraSure are joining with public health departments and community-based organizations across the country to recruit mayors to support HIV testing and prevention in their cities and towns. This year's campaign, called "Take the Test, Take Control," is focused on the nation's cities where the burden of HIV is greatest and is working with public health departments to increase testing and link those individuals who are positive to care.
NASDAQ MarketSite
OraSure will open the NASDAQ MarketSite today. Guests for the market open will include Frank Oldham, President and CEO of NAPWA; LaRay Brown, Senior Vice President of Corporate Planning, Community Health and Intergovernmental Relations, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation; Rachel Villanueva, M.D., Chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Medical Association; Dr. Monica Sweeney, Assistant Commissioner for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Johnny Ford, Founder of the World Conference of Mayors and former mayor of Tuskegee, AL; The Honorable Mayor Noramie F. Jasmin, Mayor of Spring Valley, New York; Guillermo Chacón, President, Latino Commission on AIDS and Dawn Averitt-Bridge, Founder, National HIV Awareness Month. A live webcast of the NASDAQ Opening Bell will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx.
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation One Million+ HIV Testing Milestone
In the fall of 2011, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation realized a major milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS when it reached the 1 million mark in the number of New Yorkers tested for HIV since 2005, the year that public hospitals and health centers began offering HIV screening as a routine part of medical care for patients ages 13 to 64. Now that number has grown to more than 1.1 million, the majority of which have been tested with the OraQuick ADVANCE® test. Ninety percent of those who test positive have been linked to care within 90 days.
HIV Testing in Times Square, NYC
In conjunction with the NASDAQ open event, Gay Men's Health Crisis and the Community Healthcare Network will offer free rapid HIV testing in Times Square today with OraQuick ADVANCE® from its mobile HIV testing units.
Walgreens / Greater Than AIDS HIV Testing
OraSure is working with local health departments and AIDS service organizations to provide free HIV testing at select Walgreens locations between June 27-29 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The testing is part of a special collaboration in 20 markets across the country between local providers, Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS, a coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the domestic AIDS epidemic. OraQuick ADVANCE® tests will be used by local providers at no cost at these select Walgreens locations.
National HIV Awareness Month
June 27th also kicks off National HIV Awareness Month, a new initiative founded by The Well Project to promote HIV awareness and prevention. OraSure and other leading public and private organizations are working together to promote testing throughout the month.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies is a leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of oral fluid diagnostic and collection devices and other technologies designed to detect or diagnose critical medical conditions. Its innovative products include rapid tests for the detection of antibodies to HIV and HCV at the point of care and testing solutions for detecting various drugs of abuse. In addition, the Company is a leading provider of oral fluid sample collection, stabilization and preparation products for molecular diagnostic applications. OraSure's portfolio of products is sold globally to various clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations and other public health organizations, research and academic institutions, distributors, government agencies, physicians' offices, and commercial and industrial entities. The Company's products enable healthcare providers to deliver critical information to patients, empowering them to make decisions to improve and protect their health.
For more information on OraSure Technologies, please visit www.orasure.com.
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