Oral Fluid Drug Testing Reveals More Heroin Use
January 26 2011 - 5:00AM
OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSUR), the market leader in oral
fluid diagnostics, announced today that Quest Diagnostics
Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) released new data indicating that oral
fluid revealed approximately five times more heroin use in the
general U.S. workforce than previously believed.
In the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index special report, with
more than 320,000 oral-fluid samples analyzed from the general U.S.
workforce from January-June 2010, data revealed that oral fluid
testing detected a marker for heroin use at a rate of 0.04%
compared to the 0.008% positivity rate in urine testing. The oral
fluid specimens were collected and tested using OraSure's
Intercept® Drug Testing System.
"Oral fluid testing is helping employers find more heroin
users," said Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology
for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions in the Quest Diagnostics
Drug Testing Index report.
According to the report, oral fluid testing offers the advantage
of an observed collection and is easily administered by the hiring
manager. There also are no known adulterants that can be used to
tamper with oral-fluid testing.
Developed and manufactured by OraSure Technologies, the
Intercept® Drug Testing System is the only FDA-cleared in vitro
diagnostic laboratory-based oral fluid testing system used for
detecting commonly abused drugs such as marijuana, cocaine,
opiates, PCP, amphetamines (including methamphetamine and ecstasy),
barbiturates, methadone and benzodiazepines. Intercept® is
currently being used in workplace, drug treatment and criminal
justice testing markets.
"This new data certainly validates our Intercept Oral Fluid Drug
Test as a highly effective system in identifying drug use," added
Stephen R. Lee, Chief Science Officer, OraSure Technologies.
The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index is published as a
public service for government, media and industry and has been
considered a benchmark for national trends since its inception in
1988. It examines positivity rates — the proportion of positive
results for each drug to all such drug tests performed — among
three major testing populations: federally mandated,
safety-sensitive workers; the general workforce; and the combined
U.S. workforce.
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.
For more information on the Company, please go to
www.orasure.com.
The OraSure Technologies, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6440
CONTACT: Investor Contact:
Ronald H. Spair
Chief Financial Officer
610-882-1820
investorinfo@orasure.com
Media Contact:
Jennifer Moritz
Zer0 to 5ive for OraSure Technologies
917-748-4006
jmoritz@0to5.com
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