LabOne and Epitope to Develop Oral Fluid Test for Hepatitis C.

Health/Medical Writers

LENEXA, Kan. and BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BW HealthWire)--June 26, 2000

LabOne, Inc. (NASDAQ NM:LABS) and Epitope, Inc. (NASDAQ NM:EPTO) have signed an agreement to jointly develop and commercialize a laboratory-based oral fluid screening test for Hepatitis C antibodies.

The new test will feature Epitope's OraSure(R)oral fluid collection device, which is currently used to test for HIV-1 antibodies and for five common drugs of abuse. The agreement covers both U.S. and international markets.

LabOne will financially contribute toward outside development and clinical study costs, and will provide laboratory-testing services with the goal of obtaining Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in the public health markets in a year. LabOne will be the exclusive laboratory for oral fluid screening of Hepatitis C antibodies for U.S. customers using the new test for five years.

"The acceptance of oral fluid HIV testing has led to an increasing number of requests from our public health clients for an oral fluid Hepatitis C test," said Robert Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Epitope. "OraSure, as a proven alternative to blood testing for HIV, has been embraced by healthcare workers as safe, effective, easy to use and convenient. An oral test for Hepatitis C will impart the same advantages because it eliminates the problems associated with the fear of needles and the danger of needle-stick injuries, and encourages greater patient participation. Hepatitis C has emerged as a significant health threat, and Epitope plans to combat it with safer and easier testing programs."

Epitope will be responsible for marketing the Hepatitis C testing kit, which includes an OraSure device, instructions for use, a return air express mailer and a patient identification form for use in returning the results. It is anticipated that negative test results will be provided to the testing site within 24 hours of receipt of the sample, and that positive results will be available within 72 hours.

"This new oral testing product will permit a more timely diagnosis and treatment. This is a rare opportunity to provide a safe, non-invasive Hepatitis C test service to a market that is asking for exactly that," commented W. Thomas Grant II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of LabOne. "We have worked for many years with Epitope on HIV testing and drugs of abuse testing, and we are pleased to collaborate once again with them on this important product."

According to the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, nearly 4 million people carry the Hepatitis C virus in the U.S., with particular prevalence among healthcare workers. Worldwide, an estimated 120 million people are infected with the Hepatitis C virus. The virus, which is highly contagious through exposure to contaminated blood, is often silent for as long as 20 years and generally takes about six months before its presence can be detected with most tests. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C, and active Hepatitis C begins attacking the victim's liver within the first years following exposure.

Epitope, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets medical devices and diagnostic products utilizing its proprietary oral fluid technologies for sale to public- and private-sector clients worldwide. The Company's primary focus is on the detection of HIV antibodies, with emphasis in the U.S. life insurance and global public health markets, and on the use of oral fluid testing for the detection of drugs of abuse and other analytes. In May 2000 the Company announced its intention to merge with the privately held STC Technologies, Inc. Epitope has filed an S-4 Registration statement related to this merger with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the name OraSure Technologies, Inc. Copies of this document may be obtained at no charge from the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

LabOne is a national laboratory testing and information service provider with three divisions: insurance services, healthcare and substance abuse testing. The insurance services division with its ExamOne and SBSI subsidiaries provides proprietary information technologies CaseView and LabOne NET(TM), and CaseOne case management service to life and health insurance companies. These services include laboratory test results, paramedical examinations, attending physician statements, motor vehicle reports, background inspections and personal history interviews. LabOne's healthcare division provides medical diagnostic testing and related services to physicians and managed care organizations, and to benefit providers through its unique Lab Card(R) employee benefit program. The healthcare division's disease management reporting is specifically designed to provide managed care clients with HEDIS data necessary for their NCQA accreditation. The company's substance abuse testing division provides drug testing services to Fortune 1000 employers and markets Intercept(TM), the oral fluid drug test, in the workplace drug testing market. The company's web site is located at www.LabOne.com.

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements," as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements include projections, statements of plans and objectives, statements of future economic performance and statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the volume and pricing of laboratory tests performed by LabOne, competition, the extent of market acceptance of the Company's testing services in the healthcare and substance abuse testing industries, general economic conditions and other factors detailed from time to time in each Company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.