Washington, DC Launches City-Wide HIV Testing and Prevention Campaign with OraQuick(R) ADVANCE(TM) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Jun 26, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSUR) announced today that the City of Washington, DC has agreed to purchase OraQuick(R) ADVANCE(TM) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Tests for use in a city-wide HIV testing campaign being launched this week on June 27th, National HIV Testing Day. The campaign, led by Dr. Marsha Martin, Senior Deputy Director for HIV Policy and Programs and DC Mayor Anthony Williams will offer increased HIV testing services with OraQuick(R) ADVANCE(TM) throughout the District with the goal of ensuring that all of the approximately 500,000 District residents know their HIV status by 2007.

It is estimated that the District's rate of new AIDS cases is now the highest of any major city in the United States, with over 9,000 residents living with AIDS. District public health officials estimate that 25 percent of these individuals do not know they are infected.

To date, federal and local government officials, as well as numerous hospitals, public health department clinics, community-based organizations, AIDS-service organizations and physicians office groups throughout the District, have expressed their support for this campaign.

"We are excited to work with the city's various community partners to deploy this aggressive and comprehensive HIV testing campaign in the nation's capitol," said Douglas A. Michels, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. "As a key component of the testing campaign, our OraQuick(R) ADVANCE(TM) test will enable District residents to learn their HIV status and quickly seek appropriate counseling and treatment. The 'Coming Together to Stop HIV(TM)' campaign is the culmination of months of planning and was created to serve as a national model for large scale HIV testing campaigns in other major metropolitan cities across the country as well."

The OraQuick(R) ADVANCE(TM) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test is the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved and CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments Act of 1988) 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.

Now in its 12th year, National HIV Testing Day - the official launch day of the initiative - is an annual event led by the National Association of People with AIDS (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, as many as one-third of the estimated one million HIV-infected people in the United States may be unaware that they are infected with the HIV virus.

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.

Important Information

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including with respect to product purchases and testing initiatives. Actual results could be significantly different. Factors that could affect results include the ability to market products; impact of competitors, competing products and technology changes; ability to develop, commercialize and market new products; market acceptance of oral fluid testing or other products and changes in market acceptance based on product performance; continued bulk purchases by customers, including governmental agencies, and the ability to fully deploy those purchases in a timely manner; ability to fund research and development and other products and operations; ability to obtain and maintain new or existing product distribution channels; reliance on sole supply sources for critical product components; availability of related products produced by third parties; ability to obtain, and timing of obtaining, necessary regulatory approvals; ability to comply with applicable regulatory requirements; history of losses and ability to achieve sustained profitability; volatility of our stock price; uncertainty relating to patent protection and potential patent infringement claims; uncertainty and costs of litigation relating to patents and other intellectual property; availability of licenses to patents or other technology; ability to enter into international manufacturing agreements; obstacles to international marketing and manufacturing of products; ability to sell products internationally; loss or impairment of sources of capital; ability to meet financial covenants in agreements with financial institutions; ability to retain qualified personnel; exposure to product liability, patent infringement, and other types of litigation; changes in international, federal or state laws and regulations; changes in relationships with strategic partners and reliance on strategic partners for the performance of critical activities under collaborative arrangements; customer consolidations and inventory practices; equipment failures and ability to obtain needed raw materials and components; the impact of terrorist attacks and civil unrest; ability to complete consolidation or restructuring activities; ability to identify, complete and realize the full benefits of potential acquisitions; and general political, business and economic conditions. These and other factors are discussed more fully in the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings of OraSure Technologies, including its registration statements, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its other filings with the SEC. Although forward-looking statements help to provide complete information about future prospects, readers should keep in mind that forward-looking statements may not be reliable. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and OraSure Technologies undertakes no duty to update these statements.

SOURCE: OraSure Technologies, Inc.

OraSure Technologies, Inc.
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