LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Calypte Biomedical Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: CBMC), medical diagnostic tests manufacturer for the detection of antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for the professional point of care (PRO) and over the counter (OTC) segments of the market announced today that it has received the initial order from its distributor in Russia, Ordynka Investments Limited, for 25,000 of its Aware(TM) Oral Fluid (OMT) HIV-1/2 rapid tests for the OTC market in the Russian Federation. This product, designed for use in non-clinical settings, permits significantly greater access to HIV testing. Mr. Vladimir Saveliev, Managing Director of Ordynka Investments Limited, stated "We are happy to be working with Calypte in the hope to be able to help Russia in its fight against the prevention of the spread of the fast growing HIV/AIDS epidemic and this initial order of 25,000 test kits should help the cause. In addition to being safe and painless, oral fluid sampling is very efficient and thereby facilitates high-throughput testing in settings such as the military, prisons, schools and universities. Additionally, oral fluid sampling facilitates testing in many settings, such as outreach or prevalence surveys in remote locations, where drawing blood is difficult or even impossible." Mr. Saveliev continued, "We intend to deliver no less than 500,000 tests to the Russian Federation over the next 12 months and are confident that the need for these products can be greater than this." One of the fundamental aspects of HIV intervention is the identification of infected individuals so that they may be counseled and referred to therapy. Although a portion of HIV infections may be identified through a variety of mandated, institutionalized testing programs, the identification of infections in the general population relies largely on the public's voluntary participation in testing programs. Mr. Roger Gale, Calypte's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented, "While HIV testing in Russia is already extensive, our recently approved AwareTM HIV-1/2 OMT (oral fluid) rapid test overcomes several barriers to testing as it is a non-invasive test. As such, we believe it will form the basis for a quality post-testing counseling system - for prevention as well as treatment." Mr. Gale continued, "We have worked closely with Marr Technologies B.V. ("Marr"), our strategic partner and the Company's largest investor, whose principals come from this region, and we are optimistic that their contacts in the region will maximize our ability to serve the needs of the Russian Federation in its plans to contain the HIV/AIDS epidemic." About the Russian Federation: The Russian Federation is home to 143 million people. According to the 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic jointly published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ("UNAIDS") and the World Health Organization ("WHO"), there are 940,000 people living with AIDS in the Russian Federation (as of the end of 2005). According to the WHO, the number of people officially registered with HIV increased almost 100-fold in the past eight years from 3,623 cases in 1997 to about 350,000 cases by the end of 2005. The 2006 Report notes that Russia now has an HIV/AIDS epidemic that is both the biggest in Europe and said to be the fastest growing in the world. The Russian AIDS epidemic has now reached the stage where it is propagating out of high risk groups and into the general population. According to the 2006 report by Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS ("TPAA") titled Key Facts About HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation, the proportion of Russia's newly reported HIV infections acquired through heterosexual intercourse has grown from 6% in 2001 to close to 27% in 2004. Russia is taking action to reverse this trend and Calypte believes that its non-invasive OTC rapid test can have an immediate positive impact on the effort to increase diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS in this region. About Calypte Biomedical: Calypte Biomedical Corporation (www.calypte.com) is a U.S.-based healthcare company focused on the development and commercialization of rapid testing products for sexually transmitted diseases such as the AwareTM HIV-1/2 OMT test that are suitable for use at the point of care and at home. Calypte believes there is a significant need for rapid detection of such diseases globally to control their proliferation, particularly in developing countries, which lack the medical infrastructure to support laboratory-based testing. Calypte believes that testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infectious diseases may make important contributions to public health, and could increase the likelihood of treating those with undetected HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. | 
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