Post by icemandios on Nov 30, 2021 13:38:22 GMT
OraSure Technologies Remains Committed to the Global Fight Against HIV 40 Years After the Discovery of the HIV Virus
Company to Ring Nasdaq Closing Bell and Host Panel Discussions on HIV in New York City
BETHLEHEM, Pa., Nov. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), a global leader in the fight against HIV, today announced its plans for World AIDS Day. Commemorated annually on December 1, the U.S. Government's theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone's Voice.” This year also marks 40 years since the first five cases of what later became known as AIDS were officially reported.
“When we look back at the past 40 years, we see a disease that was unfortunately often politicized and placed in a cultural context, as opposed to being recognized as a critical public health risk, frequently to the great detriment of the many affected marginalized communities,” said OraSure President and CEO, Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D. “However, through multi-stakeholder collaboration between public and private organizations, great progress has been made during the past 40 years with regard to prevention, diagnosis, linkage to care and treatment. OraSure is proud to be an innovator in the field of HIV, and a global leader in driving simple point-of-care testing and awareness.”
OraSure was the first company to receive FDA approval for a professional-use rapid HIV-1/2 test in 2002 with its OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test. In 2012, the Company received FDA approval for the first, and still only, over-the-counter oral fluid HIV test, the OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test. In 2017, the Company received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for the OraQuick® HIV Self-Test, which is sold for use by individuals in many countries internationally, including sub-Saharan Africa. More than 70 million OraQuick® HIV tests have been used worldwide in more than 130 countries, helping link those who test positive to the necessary follow-up resources and care. The Company also develops diagnostic tests that measure and improve adherence to PrEP, a medication used by HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV seroconversion.
In honor of World AIDS Day, OraSure will ring the closing bell for the Nasdaq Stock Market on November 30th. The bell ringing ceremony will be preceded by an expert panel discussion entitled "The 40-year Story of HIV: Then and Now,” at Nasdaq Marketsite on Times Square in New York City and will cover the history of the HIV epidemic, including considerations for treatment in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The panel discussion will open with remarks from Harold Phillips, who leads the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) as part of the U.S. President’s Domestic Policy Council. Following his remarks, a moderated discussion will be held with Stephen Lee, M.D., Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD); Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Ph.D., member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Dean of the School of Nursing and Vice Chancellor of Nursing Affairs at Duke University; Ingrid Floyd, Executive Director at Iris House and WORLD; and Marc Meachem, Head of External Affairs at ViiV Healthcare. The panel will be moderated by Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and founder of Choose Healthy Life.
In addition to these events in New York, OraSure employees and customers will take part in HIV testing efforts around the globe on World AIDS Day. As part of its corporate philanthropy, the Company also provides sponsorship funds year-round to more than a dozen non-profit organizations that focus on ending the HIV epidemic and has provided thousands of free tests used both domestically and internationally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, to help people know their HIV status.
“The world has been fighting the AIDS epidemic for 40 years, and we have made progress, but there is still work to do,” Tang said. “OraSure has a long tradition of tackling our greatest public health challenges and we believe it’s time to end the story of HIV and as a Company we stand ready to help make this vision a reality.”
About OraSure Technologies’ HIV Tests
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. 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.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies empowers the global community to improve health and wellness by providing access to accurate, essential information. OraSure, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, DNA Genotek, Diversigen, and Novosanis, 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 to Ring Nasdaq Closing Bell and Host Panel Discussions on HIV in New York City
BETHLEHEM, Pa., Nov. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), a global leader in the fight against HIV, today announced its plans for World AIDS Day. Commemorated annually on December 1, the U.S. Government's theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone's Voice.” This year also marks 40 years since the first five cases of what later became known as AIDS were officially reported.
“When we look back at the past 40 years, we see a disease that was unfortunately often politicized and placed in a cultural context, as opposed to being recognized as a critical public health risk, frequently to the great detriment of the many affected marginalized communities,” said OraSure President and CEO, Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D. “However, through multi-stakeholder collaboration between public and private organizations, great progress has been made during the past 40 years with regard to prevention, diagnosis, linkage to care and treatment. OraSure is proud to be an innovator in the field of HIV, and a global leader in driving simple point-of-care testing and awareness.”
OraSure was the first company to receive FDA approval for a professional-use rapid HIV-1/2 test in 2002 with its OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test. In 2012, the Company received FDA approval for the first, and still only, over-the-counter oral fluid HIV test, the OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test. In 2017, the Company received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for the OraQuick® HIV Self-Test, which is sold for use by individuals in many countries internationally, including sub-Saharan Africa. More than 70 million OraQuick® HIV tests have been used worldwide in more than 130 countries, helping link those who test positive to the necessary follow-up resources and care. The Company also develops diagnostic tests that measure and improve adherence to PrEP, a medication used by HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV seroconversion.
In honor of World AIDS Day, OraSure will ring the closing bell for the Nasdaq Stock Market on November 30th. The bell ringing ceremony will be preceded by an expert panel discussion entitled "The 40-year Story of HIV: Then and Now,” at Nasdaq Marketsite on Times Square in New York City and will cover the history of the HIV epidemic, including considerations for treatment in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The panel discussion will open with remarks from Harold Phillips, who leads the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) as part of the U.S. President’s Domestic Policy Council. Following his remarks, a moderated discussion will be held with Stephen Lee, M.D., Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD); Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Ph.D., member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Dean of the School of Nursing and Vice Chancellor of Nursing Affairs at Duke University; Ingrid Floyd, Executive Director at Iris House and WORLD; and Marc Meachem, Head of External Affairs at ViiV Healthcare. The panel will be moderated by Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and founder of Choose Healthy Life.
In addition to these events in New York, OraSure employees and customers will take part in HIV testing efforts around the globe on World AIDS Day. As part of its corporate philanthropy, the Company also provides sponsorship funds year-round to more than a dozen non-profit organizations that focus on ending the HIV epidemic and has provided thousands of free tests used both domestically and internationally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, to help people know their HIV status.
“The world has been fighting the AIDS epidemic for 40 years, and we have made progress, but there is still work to do,” Tang said. “OraSure has a long tradition of tackling our greatest public health challenges and we believe it’s time to end the story of HIV and as a Company we stand ready to help make this vision a reality.”
About OraSure Technologies’ HIV Tests
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. 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.
About OraSure Technologies
OraSure Technologies empowers the global community to improve health and wellness by providing access to accurate, essential information. OraSure, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, DNA Genotek, Diversigen, and Novosanis, 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 .