OSUR OraSure Technologies Inc

OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSUR) and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) announced today that OraSure officials will be joined by Frank Oldham, Jr., President and CEO of NAPWA, and the Honorable Johnny Ford, Mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama and Director General of the World Conference of Mayors to preside over the NASDAQ Stock Market opening on June 27, 2008 in observance of National HIV Testing Day. This event will spotlight the importance of this annual observance, as well as the collective support of OraSure, various governmental agencies, the media and HIV/AIDS organizations to increase HIV testing and awareness nationwide. 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 testing and counseling. 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. �We are very pleased to be joining NAPWA in observing National HIV Testing Day by opening the NASDAQ Stock Market on June 27,� said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. �As the only FDA-approved rapid HIV test for use with oral fluid or blood samples in the U.S., OraQuick ADVANCE� continues to help more people get 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 governments, hospitals, public health clinics, community-based organizations and other health care providers 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,� Mr. Oldham said. �We appreciate the support of OraSure and the NASDAQ Stock Market in calling attention to this important annual event.� OraSure Technologies and NAPWA have also collaborated to launch the fourth annual Mayors Campaign Against HIV� to help disseminate the critical messages of National HIV Testing Day at a local and national level. This year�s campaign includes more than 77 mayors, public health departments and community-based organizations from cities across the country. The cities participating in the Campaign include New York City, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco and Tuskegee, AL. Participating mayors aim to increase awareness of HIV testing and prevention among their constituencies. 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. �I am honored to join more than 77 Mayors from cities across the country in support of the Mayors Campaign Against HIV,� said Mayor Ford, who also is the Founder and President-emeritus of the National Black Conference of Mayors. �Far too many people have suffered from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this country, but the participation of so many mayors is a clear testament to our commitment to address this epidemic on a local and national level. In doing so, we will greatly reduce the impact that the epidemic has on our communities. I am proud to stand with NAPWA, OraSure Technologies, and my fellow Mayors in this fight and I urge all residents to get tested for HIV, for their health, and for the health of our entire 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 (HPLS), held on June 11-14, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan, several organizations reported on the 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� will continue to play a critical role in the fight against HIV/AIDS.� 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.