LAKE FOREST, Calif., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ — First Check Diagnostics LLC, the leader in providing the highest quality home diagnostic testing kits to assist people in living safer and healthier lives, today announced that it has received the first-ever over-the-counter 510(k) clearance issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a home-use drug test to screen for prescription drugs. The test, which will be available to parents beginning today online at CVS.com and stocked in retail outlets over the next 60 days, is called the First Check 12 Drug Test. It screens for five prescription drugs: Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates, Methadone, Oxycodone and Tri-cyclic Antidepressants; and seven illicit drugs: Marijuana, Cocaine, Ecstasy, Phencyclidine, Amphetamine, Opiates and Methamphetamine. The test can provide results in as little as five minutes.
“The trends in drug use among the nation’s youth have shifted in the last few years,” said Kevin Gadawski, President of First Check Diagnostics. “Most alarming is that non-medical use of prescription drugs continues to show a sharp increase in terms of use among children aged 12 and higher. With the first-ever FDA approval of an over-the-counter home testing kit, First Check has added another needed resource to help parents and children live safer and happier lives.”
Parents across the nation increasingly have been calling for tools to help fight against drug abuse, including technologies to address the escalating abuse of prescription drugs by children and teenagers. Following the recent release of the Monitoring the Future Survey (http://monitoringthefuture.org/) conducted by the University of Michigan, which showed continued, upward trends in prescription drug abuse among youth, Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) stated, “Prescription drugs are very powerful medicines that are effective when used properly and with a doctor’s supervision. Using these drugs without a prescription is dangerous. It is imperative that teens get this message.” National Institutes for Health (NIH) Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni also stated following the release of the Survey that ” … the upward trend in prescription drug abuse is disturbing. We need to ensure that young people understand the very real risks of abusing any drug.”
“According to additional research from the Partnership for a Drug Free America, close to half of all teens believe using prescription medications to get high is ‘much safer’ than street drugs,” continued Gadawski. Close to one-third believed prescription pain killers were non-addictive. While the issue of drug abuse is national problem, the human toll taken among parents and children dealing with such challenges take on enormous emotional and physical suffering statistics simply cannot convey. Communication and education are essential keys, but also having appropriate technologies available provides an additional layer of assurance for both parents and their children.”
As part of this national challenge, First Check continues to partner with Project 7th Grade, a national drug prevention program. Project 7th Grade today unveiled a 25-city program with Members of Congress in Washington, DC, aimed at educating parents, schools and law enforcement on means to communicate with teenagers on the perils of drug use, including efforts to address the escalating use of prescription drugs. Parents who complete the program are provided a home drug testing kit provided by First Check Diagnostics.
During 2005, Project 7th Grade was successfully rolled out in Phoenix, Cincinnati, Dallas and Omaha. This year, the program has already received invitations from schools in Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Baltimore and Pittsburgh; and pending initiatives will be engaged in 25 cities by the fall of 2006. While the project has in the past distributed free test kits to parents that test just for illicit drugs, the recent data regarding the non- medical use of prescription drugs has prompted Project 7th Grade to provide the new expanded kits to address what has become a rising epidemic. In support of the program, First Check Diagnostics has agreed, as part of an overall $1 million plus commitment of funding, to provide Project 7th Grade with the newly introduced First Check 12 Drug Test product.
First Check products are available at CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Long’s Drug, Osco/Sav-on, Eckerd, CVS.com, Drugstore.com and Target.com. Major retailers will begin stocking the product over the next 60 days. The product is now available at CVS.com.
First Check Diagnostics, LLC is committed to be the leader in providing the highest quality home diagnostic testing kits that assist people in living safer and healthier lives. We are further committed to supporting Project 7th Grade and notMYkid, a non-profit organizations dedicated to providing information and resources on topics such as drug abuse to aid families in dealing with these and similar issues. For additional information on First Check Diagnostics, please visit http://www.firstcheckfamily.com/.
First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:
First Check Diagnostics LLC
CONTACT: Kevin Gadawski of First Check Diagnostics, LLC, +1-949-598-8378ext. 208, [email protected]
Web site: http://www.firstcheckfamily.com/http://monitoringthefuture.org/
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