AVITAR, INC. launches ORALadvantage™ a complete Substance Abuse Policy Development and On-Site Drug Testing Program for small businesses.

May 08, 2000

-- ORALadvantage provides small businesses with a comprehensive, cost-effective solution for establishing a substance abuse policy and drug testing program. --

CANTON, MA, May 8, 2000 – Avitar, Inc. (AMEX:AVR) today launched ORALadvantage™, the world's first comprehensive drug testing program for small businesses that offers the ease and convenience of oral fluid- (saliva) based, on-site testing. ORALadvantage equips small businesses with the diagnostic and educational tools to develop, deploy and manage a substance abuse testing program. The product features ORALscreen™ 4 (TCOM), the Company’s new substance abuse testing device that uses saliva to detect traces of marijuana (THC), cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine with results in minutes.

Nearly 73 percent of all illegal drug users in the United States are employed according to the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse published by SAMHSA. Lost productivity, high employee turnover, low employee morale, mistakes and accidents, and increased worker's compensation insurance and health insurance premiums are all results of untreated substance abuse problems in the workplace costing U.S. companies an estimated $100 billion per year. Most Fortune 1000 corporations have established drug testing programs, however, the majority of small to medium-sized businesses, which employ about 80 percent of all U.S. workers, do not test their employees. "ORALadvantage allows small businesses to implement a drug free workplace and say, ‘if you use drugs don't bother to apply here’," said Matt Andrie, Avitar’s Marketing Manager.

"The reality is that in small companies, human resource functions are often performed by managers who are utterly overextended, with many managers supporting more than one operational area within the company," said Peter P. Phildius, Avitar’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "ORALadvantage is designed to cost-effectively provide small businesses with the resources they need to implement quickly an effective on-site drug testing program without the unpleasant nature and high costs associated with urine testing. ORALscreen can be administered by anyone with immediate results, so there’s no lost productivity. For the first time, small businesses can now truly afford to provide a safe and healthy work environment."

ORALadvantage, economically priced at $595.00, includes substance abuse policy development tools and templates, employee education videos, and information on Employee Assistance Program resources. Additionally, ORALadvantage comes complete with twenty ORALscreen 4 devices, ORALconfirm™ sample collection kits for lab-based confirmation testing, chain of custody and consent forms, and alcohol screening tests. ORALadvantage represents Avitar’s first step into the development of the virtually untapped small business drug testing market. Business development efforts will include an emphasis on B2B, e-commerce and Internet marketing strategies. Avitar projects this untapped market for small business drug testing could potentially exceed $480 million by 2003.

ORALscreen 4, introduced in April 2000, is the latest in Avitar’s line of oral fluid-based products. The Company’s substance abuse testing line also includes ORALconfirm, for laboratory-based confirmation testing; HAIRscreen™, for detection of long-term or repeated drug abuse; and a number of specialty products.

Avitar, Inc. (AMEX:AVR) 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 include ORALscreen^TM, the world’s first rapid point-of-contact oral fluid test for drugs of abuse, HAIRscreen^TM, a laboratory-based test for long term drug abuse using hair, and several other specialized tests for drugs of abuse. Avitar also markets an oral fluid collection system for DNA testing as well as a proprietary line of polyurethane-based high tech medical devices. For more information, see Avitar’s website at avitarinc.com .

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