OraQuick(R) In-Home HIV Test is Exclusive Sponsor of Hello Beautiful Interludes: A Concert and Conversation With Alicia Keys to Air During February in Recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
BETHLEHEM, Pa., Feb. 6, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSUR), the market leader in oral fluid diagnostics, announced today that in support of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) on February 7th, the Company has joined together with Interactive One and Radio One, and RCA Records to be the exclusive sponsor of the Hello Beautiful Presents Grammy Award Winning artist Alicia Keys Intimate Concert Event in February.
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The concert, which was taped in Harlem, NY at the legendary Red Rooster lounge, will debut on HelloBeautiful.com in February. The event is part of a month-long series that will air on HelloBeautiful.com throughout the month of February.
OraSure is committed to helping people learn their HIV status. Its OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test launched in October 2012 and is available in 30,000 retail outlets nationwide and online at OraQuick.com. The OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2012, detects antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 with an oral swab, providing a confidential in-home testing option with results in as little as 20 minutes.
"HIV/AIDS continues to be one of the most significant health crises facing African Americans today," said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. "The new OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test is an important new tool helping to increase the number of people who know their HIV status. We are proud to be the exclusive sponsor of the Hello Beautiful Presents Alicia Keys Intimate Concert event, and felt the timing - coinciding with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - would help us raise awareness about the importance of getting tested."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 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 disproportionately responsible for the 50,000 new HIV infections that occur each year. Additionally, according to the CDC, despite African Americans representing only 14 percent of the U.S. population, 44 percent of all new HIV infections occur within the African American population.
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 July 2012, the Company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Company's OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test for sale directly to consumers in the over-the-counter (OTC) market - making it the first and only rapid OTC HIV test approved in the U.S. 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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CONTACT: Media Contact:
Jennifer Moritz
Zer0 to 5ive for OraSure Technologies
917-748-4006
jmoritz@0to5.com
OraSure Technologies, Inc.
