Calypte Only Company with Full Menu of Tests.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Calypte Biomedical Corporation (Amex: HIV) today announced the addition of dried blood spot samples as a new indication for use with the Calypte HIV-1 BED Incidence EIA. The Calypte HIV-1 BED Incidence EIA Dried Blood Spot Control Pack is now available as an accessory quality control reagent to customers interested in testing dried blood spots for HIV-1 incidence. Initially, the Calypte HIV-1 BED Incidence EIA had only been evaluated for use with serum and plasma specimens. Dried blood spot samples can be obtained from blood serum, blood plasma or whole blood, and all three specimen types can be tested simultaneously with this new indication.

Unlike most HIV antibody tests that are designed as a screening test to determine if an individual has been exposed to HIV-1, the Calypte HIV-1 BED Incidence EIA is a population research tool intended to determine the number of persons in a known population that have been infected within a 6 month period. Such information may give policymakers and program managers valuable insights into the success of prevention programs and guidance on the optimal allocation of resources. Additionally, the test may be valuable for targeting populations with a high incidence of HIV infections for interventional studies and/or vaccine trials.

Mr. Roger Gale, Chairman and CEO of Calypte explains, "The addition of a dried blood spot indication will allow more flexibility with Calypte's HIV-1 BED Incidence EIA, as dried blood spots are easier to collect, handle and transport than serum or plasma samples. The additional dried blood spot indication may allow the BED HIV-1 Incidence test to be used as a tool to facilitate collection of HIV-1 incidence data from difficult to reach populations in remote locations where traditional laboratory facilities and conveniences such as refrigeration are not available. Furthermore, this new indication should facilitate testing of archived dried specimens that could not have been previously tested."

The product is available in inventory and first sales have shipped.