Avitar, Inc. to Supply Pinkerton Security Services With ORALscreen(TM)

Pinkerton Adopts Oral Fluid Test To 100,000 New Hires Annually

April 24, 2001

CANTON, Mass., April 24 /PRNewswire Interactive News Release/ -- Avitar, Inc. (Amex: - news) is pleased to announce that Pinkerton's, Inc. will adopt the ORALscreen drug test system for its internal employee testing. Pinkerton, along with its sister company in the Securitas group of companies, Burns International, is a market leader in security services with approximately 125,000 employees in the U.S. Pinkerton recently signed a strategic marketing agreement with Avitar and will immediately implement the ORALscreen product nationally by performing pre-employment ORALscreen tests on approximately 100,000 new applicants annually.

``ORALscreen is a powerful story. It provides companies with a better and easier method of detecting drug abusers and it saves the company money. Our customers love it,'' said Don Weber, Vice President of Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations' Health Services Division. ``Pinkerton is always looking for the best way to deliver their services to the market, and ORALscreen delivers by streamlining the hiring process. We expect to see major time and money savings in the employee selection process by implementing this program,'' added Weber.

``We are extremely pleased by Pinkerton's efforts in selling the ORALscreen product to their customers. We are currently developing plans for assisting Pinkerton in several pilot programs with a number of large clients,'' stated Peter P. Phildius, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Avitar. ``Adding a prestigious customer like Pinkerton to our growing list of users demonstrates that ORALscreen is rapidly being accepted by the market. We expect this implementation to add well over $1 million in revenue alone,'' added Phildius.

ABOUT PINKERTON

Pinkerton Services Group (), a division of Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, provides proven hiring tools and strategies to help ensure that clients hire qualified, honest employees and minimize negligent hiring concerns, reduce turnover and increase productivity. Pinkerton Services Group is the One Source(SM)clients need for employee selection and communication solutions. Other services offered by Pinkerton Services Group include Recruiting, StantonŽ Assessments, Structured Interviews, Esteem(SM) Information Services, Background Verifications, and compliance-based employee communication programs. Pinkerton Services Group brings unsurpassed resources, personnel and technology together to protect and enhance the company's success.

Founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton ... The Original Private Eye(SM) ... Pinkerton (www.pinkertons.com) is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Securitas AB of Stockholm, Sweden. The combined companies make up the world's largest security services provider with more than 210,000 employees worldwide and revenues exceeding $5.5 billion (U.S.).

ABOUT AVITAR

Avitar, Inc. (Amex: - news) headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical devices based on proprietary core technologies for two distinctive markets: oral fluid diagnostics and customized polyurethane applications used in the wound dressing industry. Oral fluid diagnostics includes both the drugs-of-abuse testing market estimated to be worth $1.5 billion encompassing the corporate workplace and criminal justice markets and the $20 billion clinical diagnostics market. Avitar's products include ORALscreen(TM), the world's first non-invasive, rapid, onsite oral fluid test for drugs-of-abuse, and HAIRscreen(TM), a laboratory based hair test for detecting long-term drug abuse. Additionally, the company manufactures and markets HYDRASORB(TM), an absorbent topical dressing for moderate to heavy exudating wounds. In 2001, the company formed strategic partnerships with DIPRO Diagnostic Products GmbH and Pinkerton Security Group and acquired Texas-based BJR Security Service provider of canines trained to detect narcotics, explosives and firearms for markets that include education and the oil and petroleum industry.

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.