Calypte HIV-1 Urine Tests Used in Study Led by Johns Hopkins for HIV Testing in High Risk Communities; Study Concluded Urine Tests are Effective Tools for HIV Screening
ALAMEDA, Calif., Jan 27, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Calypte Biomedical Corporation
(OTCBB: CALY), the developer and marketer of the only two FDA approved HIV-1
antibody tests that can be used on urine samples, as well as an FDA approved
serum HIV-1 antibody Western blot supplemental test, today announced that a
recent study from The Johns Hopkins University utilized Calypte's HIV-1 EIA and
Western Blot Urine tests to determine that urine-based HIV screening is
effective.
The study entitled Screening for HIV Infection in High-Risk Communities by Urine
Antibody Testing published in the December 2002 volume of the JAIDS Journal of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes concluded that, "Urine-based screening for
HIV infection in high-prevalence inner city communities can be an effective tool
for identifying and treating infected persons who are unaware of their
infection." The study screened 1,718 people from February 1998 to August 2001.
It also mentioned that, "Although it is believed that targeting of known
prevention strategies to those persons of highest risk could significantly
reduce the number of new cases of HIV infection each year, a major barrier to
such targeting is the estimated 300,000 people infected in the United States who
are unaware that they are infected. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new
methods to screen and test populations at high risk for this infection."
"We are very excited that third party analyses, like the Hopkins study, continue
to recognize the merits of urine-based testing," said Dr. Toby Gottfried, Chief
Science Officer at Calypte. "Of the 1,718 persons tested, 210 (12%) were
identified as HIV-1 positive, including 169 persons either never tested or
previously HIV negative. This study's findings are consistent with those
observed in other post market studies completed for our FDA-approved urine test
which found that the availability of urine-based testing as an option resulted
in greater acceptance of voluntary testing."
Nancy Katz, President and CEO of Calypte, stated, "This study reinforces the
'urgent need' to create alternative HIV testing options for high-risk
populations. We believe Calypte fulfills that need by offering a completely
non-invasive, safe and cost effective option with none of the risks associated
with blood testing."
JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Vol. 31, No. 4, December
1, 2002 published Screening for HIV Infection in High-Risk Communities by Urine
Antibody Testing by members of the Departments of Molecular Microbiology and
Immunology and Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Division of
Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.
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