OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR) and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) announced today that more than 65 mayors and/or Department of Health offices in major metropolitan cities nationwide have committed their participation and support for the fourth annual Mayors Campaign Against HIV™, a national campaign to encourage testing for HIV and promote the benefits of knowing one’s HIV status. The Campaign is sponsored by NAPWA and OraSure, the manufacturer of the OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, in observance of National HIV Testing Day on Friday, June 27, 2008.
Now in its 14th year, National HIV Testing Day is an annual event led by NAPWA to encourage the millions of Americans who are at-risk for HIV to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.1 million individuals in the United States are infected with the HIV virus, yet more than one-quarter do not know they have the disease.
For this year’s Campaign, OraSure and NAPWA have collaborated with a record number of mayors, city public health departments and community-based organizations across the country to urge HIV testing and prevention among their constituencies. The cities participating in the Campaign include Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco and Tuskegee, AL. Several mayors have also committed to getting tested on June 27, while others are issuing proclamations or holding press conferences to encourage individuals to get screened for HIV.
“We are very pleased to be joining forces with NAPWA and the participating mayors again this year as we publicly unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS through our Mayors Campaign Against HIV™,” said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. “As the nation's only FDA-approved rapid HIV test for use with oral fluid and blood, the OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test will help to get more people tested and enable HIV-positive people to learn their status earlier so they can access care sooner. We are committed to working in partnership with national, state and local health agencies to make the OraQuick ADVANCE® test available to all who need it.”
“Each year, National HIV Testing Day brings together thousands of local health departments, community organizations and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups nationwide to encourage early diagnosis and routine testing for HIV/AIDS, and the Mayors Campaign Against HIV™ helps to further support this mission,” said Frank Oldham, Jr., NAPWA’s President and CEO. “Education remains one of the most powerful tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS. By working in partnership with OraSure and mayors around the country, we hope to educate hundreds of thousands nationwide on the need for HIV testing and prevention. We are thankful for the dedication and support of both OraSure and each mayoral office participating in the campaign.”
In appreciation of the mayors’ involvement in the Campaign, NAPWA and OraSure will donate more than 20,000 OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Tests to city health departments and community-based organizations throughout the country. OraQuick ADVANCE®is a rapid screening test for antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2, and is the only FDA-approved test that can be used at the point of care with oral fluid, finger stick and venipuncture whole blood and plasma samples. OraQuick ADVANCE® is currently in use at many health-care organizations across the country, including the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
In data recently presented at the HIV Prevention Leadership Summit in Detroit, Mi., June 11-14, several organizations reported on preference for and high accuracy of rapid HIV testing with oral fluid using the OraQuick ADVANCE test. Recent national data indicates that OraQuick ADVANCE® has a very high degree of accuracy with oral fluid – at rates that are within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approved and expected range of performance (specificity 99.6-99.9%) for the product. Based on aggregate data compiled by OraSure from participating surveillance sites nationwide for 2007 through May 2008, results for over 250,000 oral fluid tests were reported with a specificity rate of 99.8%. The data was generated at more than 400 sites, including public health clinics, community-based organizations, hospitals and outreach settings.
“The use of rapid oral fluid HIV testing has provided greater opportunity to identify HIV infected individuals and ensure that those diagnosed with HIV are linked into care immediately,” Mr. Michels said. “Because of its convenience and high degree of accuracy, oral fluid testing with OraQuick ADVANCE®has played a critical role in the fight against HIV/AIDS and will undoubtedly continue to be the preferred method of HIV screening in many settings.”
About the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US)
The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) is the oldest national AIDS organization in the United States and the oldest national network of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Founded in 1983, NAPWA is a non-profit membership organization that advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV and AIDS in order to end the pandemic and the human suffering it causes. NAPWA has several initiatives designed to promote access to and the utilization of HIV prevention and treatment and reduce stigma towards HIV-positive people. Nearly one million Americans are living with HIV and more than 40 million people around the world are infected. We will be here until there is a cure. More information on NAPWA and national HIV Testing Day can be found at http://www.napwa.org.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies develops, manufactures and markets oral fluid specimen collection devices using proprietary oral fluid technologies, diagnostic products including immunoassays and other in vitro diagnostic tests, and other medical devices. These products are sold in the United States as well as internationally to various clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations and other public health organizations, distributors, government agencies, physicians' offices, and commercial and industrial entities.
OraSure Technologies is the leading supplier of oral-fluid collection devices and assays to the life insurance industry and public health markets for the detection of HIV. In addition, the Company supplies oral-fluid testing solutions for drugs of abuse testing. For more information on the Company, please go to http://www.orasure.com.
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