OraSure announces rapid HCV testing initiatives in support of National Hepatitis Testing Day

OraSure Technologies, Inc., has announced its support of numerous rapid hepatitis C (HCV) testing initiatives for National Hepatitis Testing Day, taking place today, May 19, 2014. These testing initiatives, occurring across the country, will help encourage thousands of Americans to get tested for hepatitis C.

One highlight of OraSure's National Hepatitis Testing Day initiatives is Walgreens’ Hepatitis C Testing with the OraQuick HCV rapid test. Walgreens will use the test in a new hepatitis C testing program now available at select Walgreens in 10 states. Tests, administered by pharmacists, are available daily during pharmacy hours, with no appointment necessary. OraQuick HCV is an FDA-approved and CLIA-waived point-of-care test for detection of HCV infection in at-risk individuals. Its platform enables healthcare providers to deliver a diagnosis based on lab-accurate test results in 20 minutes, using venipuncture or fingerstick blood.

Other special hepatitis C testing events include events in New York City, where community-based healthcare organizations are offering testing in mobile vans stationed in Times Square, and in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill, where a coalition of hepatitis advocacy organizations are sponsoring a testing event.

National Hepatitis Testing Day is an educational initiative of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Today marks the third National Hepatitis Testing Day, which reminds people at risk, including individuals born between 1945 and 1965, to be tested, and encourages healthcare providers to educate patients about chronic viral hepatitis and testing. The CDC and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) have issued guidance that recommends HCV testing for at-risk individuals including all Baby Boomers. Learn more about the OraQuick HCV rapid test.