BETHLEHEM, Pa., Nov. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), a leader in the fight against HIV, today announced its plans to commemorate World AIDS Day. On Tuesday, Dec. 1st, OraSure will ring the closing bell for the NASDAQ Stock Market, in a virtual ceremony that will be livestreamed.
“A year ago, on World AIDS Day 2019, it appeared that eliminating the HIV epidemic was within our grasp. Today, we’re in a far different place as COVID-19 has disrupted the delivery of testing, services and care, reversing many of the gains we’ve made,” said OraSure President and CEO, Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D. “Today, on World AIDS Day 2020, it’s time to put a stake in the ground: We cannot let the HIV epidemic take a back seat to COVID-19. At OraSure, we are proud of the ways in which we are meeting the global need for HIV diagnostics, and we are committed to doing the same for COVID-19.”
To commemorate World AIDS Day globally, OraSure also partnered with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation on a video campaign, based around an African television series MTV Shuga, which encourages young adults to take an HIV self-test. Furthermore, in Kenya, the Ministry of Health has partnered with OraSure to pilot electronic vending machines for HIV self-test kits. The machines will launch on World AIDS Day. The widely used OraQuick® HIV Self-Test was the first WHO-prequalified HIV self-test in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To watch the livestream feed of the NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony, go to https://livestream.com/accounts/27896496/events/9408209 by 3:45 p.m. ET.
About OraSure Technologies HIV Tests
The OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test is the first and only oral fluid rapid over-the-counter (OTC) HIV test approved in the U.S. The OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test can detect 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. It is the first rapid diagnostic test for any infectious disease that has been approved by the FDA for sale to the consumer market.
The OraQuick® HIV Self-Test (HIVST) is a rapid, point-of-care test that allows an individual to detect antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 with a simple oral swab and provides a result in as little as 20 minutes in the privacy of an individual’s home, at outreach testing settings, in the pharmacy or at community based screening events. Based on the same OraQuick® platform that is used for the FDA-approved OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test and the WHO Prequalified OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test used by health care professionals worldwide, the platform has been used to test millions in international markets.
The OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test is the first FDA approved, CLIA-waived, rapid point-of care test that can detect antibodies to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 with greater than 99 percent accuracy in as little as 20 minutes, using an oral fluid, finger-stick or venipuncture whole blood, or plasma sample.
UrSure, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OraSure, offers diagnostic tests that measure adherence to HIV medications, including pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, the daily medication to prevent HIV. This includes laboratory-based tests that can measure levels of the medication in a patient’s urine or blood, as well as several additional point of care products in development.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies empowers the global community to improve health and wellness by providing access to accurate, essential information. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, DNA Genotek, Diversigen, CoreBiome (now operating under the Diversigen brand), UrSure and Novosanis, OraSure provides its customers with end-to-end solutions that encompass tools, services and diagnostics. The OraSure family of companies is a leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests, sample collection and stabilization devices, and molecular services solutions designed to discover and detect critical medical conditions. OraSure’s portfolio of products is sold globally to clinical laboratories, hospitals, physician’s offices, clinics, public health and community-based organizations, research institutions, government agencies, pharma, commercial entities and direct to consumers. For more information on OraSure Technologies, please visit www.orasure.com.
Company contacts:
Sam Martin
Argot Partners
212-600-1902
OraSure@argotpartners.com
Jeanne Mell
VP Corporate Communications
484-353-1575
media@orasure.com
www.orasure.com