ONTARIO, Calif., June 1, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- LifePoint, Inc. (AMEX:LFP), a leader in non-invasive drug diagnostic technologies and solutions, today announced that the Oklahoma City Department of Court Administration, Oklahoma is one of the first criminal justice agencies to fully adopt the IMPACT Test System, where it is being used to test individuals under the supervision of the probation department and the drug court.
"The IMPACT Test System has proven to be easy-to-use and a very effective tool for testing our probation clients -- especially juveniles," stated Chief Probation Officer LaShawn Thompson. "Oklahoma City has added the saliva-based test system to their testing protocol in order to eliminate problems with gender specific urine sample observation, and concerns regarding adulteration and substitution that can occur when collecting and testing for drugs. The IMPACT Test System is fully automatic, from sample collection to test results. Its user friendliness and ability to be used anywhere, at any time, by any member of our staff makes it an outstanding addition to our drug testing program," continued Ms. Thompson. "We are proud to be among the first group of agencies in the country to employ this unique new non-invasive drug testing system."
In little more than a decade, drug courts have become a standard feature of the landscape in this country. Every state now has at least one and there are over 1400 drug courts in the United States today. The rapid proliferation of drug courts has been driven by research that shows that drug courts have succeeded in reducing drug use, improving recidivism rates and generating significant cost savings to the judicial system. Drug offense probation, in which the average probation client reports 2 to 3 times per week to the probation officer or judge for 12 to 18 months and is tested for drugs each time they appear, is often used instead of jail for people convicted of drugs offenses.
"We are pleased to announce that LifePoint customers are now starting to routinely use the LifePoint(r) IMPACT(r) Test system," stated Linda H. Masterson, President and CEO of LifePoint Inc. "We started to ship product to new customers in early April, and they are now completing their accuracy, ease-of-use and efficiency, and cost effectiveness evaluations. We are very pleased with the performance of the product in our customers' hands, and are excited about their level of satisfaction with our unique product. More importantly, the acceptance of the product in the drug court community is great news since these are high volume drug testing customers."
About LifePoint, Inc.
LifePoint, Inc., a leader in non-invasive drug diagnostic technologies and solutions, has developed, manufactures and markets the IMPACT Test System -- a rapid diagnostic testing, screening and drug monitoring device for use in law enforcement and the workplace, and in the future, ambulances, pharmacies, and home healthcare markets. LifePoint's patented and proprietary technologies for the use of saliva as a non-invasive, blood-comparable test specimen, used in conjunction with the flow immunosensor technology licensed from the United States Navy, have allowed LifePoint to develop a broadly applicable, rapid, on-site diagnostic test system. The first product simultaneously detects drugs of abuse and alcohol. The initial three target markets -- law enforcement, industrial workplace and medical emergency room -- are estimated at over $1.6 billion in total sales opportunity.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of LifePoint, Inc. that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements made herein are reasonable, the Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made to conform to actual results or to changes to expectations. These risks include, but are not limited to the potential need for additional financing, FDA 510(k) clearance in medical markets, dependence on third parties for certain marketing efforts, and market acceptance. These risks and others are described in further detail in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
LifePoint(r) and IMPACT(r) are trademarks of LifePoint, Inc.