AVITAR appoints former Abbott Laboratories biochemist as director of Research & Development.

January 11, 2000

CANTON, MA, JANUARY 11, 2000 – Avitar, Inc., (NASDBB: AVIT.OB) has appointed Charles Plate, Ph.D., as Director of Research and Development. Dr. Plate, who joins Avitar from Abbott Laboratories’ Diagnostics Division, will be responsible for developing new applications of Avitar’s oral fluid technology in the areas of substance abuse testing and clinical diagnostics.

"We are ready to launch a major R&D effort to develop oral fluid technology for the $20 billion clinical diagnostics market," said Carl Good, Ph.D., Vice President of R&D. "With his considerable experience in rapid diagnostic tests in areas including pregnancy, fertility, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, Dr. Plate is a natural choice to lead our program."

"The appointment of Dr. Plate is a statement about our commitment to developing oral fluid technology for clinical diagnostic use," said Peter P. Phildius, chief executive officer and chairman of Avitar. "Furthermore, our ability to attract a scientist with his depth of knowledge and experience in the area of clinical diagnostics is a testament to the value of our technology. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Plate to Avitar."

Avitar became the first to offer an oral fluid based rapid screening device for substance abuse testing when it introduced ORALscreen^TM in April 1999. The company’s oral fluid technology uses saliva to non-invasively detect trace amounts of primary substances and metabolites in the body. In addition to its current uses, Avitar has determined that oral fluid technology has theoretical applications in testing for pregnancy, Lyme Disease, influenza, diabetes and many other disease states.

Dr. Charles Plate has over 20 years of experience as an academic and commercial scientist. He spent the last 14 years at Abbott Laboratories’ Diagnostics Division where he managed internal teams and academic collaborations to develop assays for cancer, infectious diseases, immunology and sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Plate’s experience ranges from early prototype development to in-line product improvements. In addition, Dr. Plate has been a member of several teams dedicated to the development and commercialization of rapid diagnostic tests.

Prior to joining Abbott Laboratories, Dr. Plate held the position of Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Medical and Dental Schools, and Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After receiving his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duke University, Durham, NC, he completed an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship with nobel laureate S.E. Laurea at MIT.

Avitar, Inc., headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical devices based on core technologies in oral fluid diagnostics and customized polyurethane applications. The company markets a unique portfolio of substance abuse testing products and services that includes the first point-of-contact rapid oral fluid screening device for drugs of abuse. Avitar also markets an oral fluids collection system for DNA testing as well as a proprietary line of polyurethane-based high tech medical devices. For more information, see Avitar’s Web Site at avitarinc.com

This release forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the development and marketing of new applications that are detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.