Latest Mobile Testing Device Targets Drug Drivers

OXFORD, England, November 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Concateno launches next-generation roadside drug testing device at Medica 2011

International police forces will now be able to target drug drivers quicker and easier, following the launch of a new roadside drug testing device developed by Concateno, Europe's leading drug and alcohol testing company. The Alere™ DDS^®2 Mobile Test System, Concateno's next-generation handheld drug testing device, enables police to determine if a driver is under the influence of up to five drugs from a single oral fluid sample within five minutes, including cocaine, cannabis, opiates, amphetamines and methamphetamines.

The Alere™ DDS^®2 will be officially launched at Medica 2011, the world's largest medical sector exhibition on 16^th November. It is the successor to the Cozart^® DDS^® device, which has been successfully deployed by police forces in Europe and Australia, and won the Queens' Award for Innovation in 2010.

"Drug driving is a serious problem for road safety around the world," said Bill Percy, Concateno's International Business Development Manager. "There is growing evidence to indicate that there are just as many drug drivers on the road as there are drink drivers. In fact, Australian researchers found that 35% of hospitalised drivers were affected by drugs, compared to just 29% by alcohol."^[1]

Percy added, "European studies indicate that there are over 13 million regular cannabis users in Europe, and that 80% of drug users will drive after they have consumed drugs.^[2] In the UK, nearly one in five people killed in road accidents are found to have illegal drugs in their system."^[3]

The new CE-marked Alere™ DDS^®2 Mobile Test System has been developed for speed, accuracy, and ease of use, enabling police forces to quickly administer tests and work towards improving road safety. The device features improved THC sensitivity, a wider temperature range, and a colour screen that allows for better viewing under an assortment of roadside conditions. Importantly, the new testing device can also store up to 10,000 results using the Alere™ DDS^®2 Data Manager Software, which generates drug trend reports, measures positivity rates and provides census information.  

While Italy, Spain, Australia and Croatia have implemented roadside drug testing programmes using the Cozart^® DDS^® device, roadside testing devices in the UK are still not approved, despite public support that has grown in the wake of the Lillian's Law campaign.  This campaign, supported by Concateno, was responsible for roadside drug testing being raised to the attention of Parliament in late October, spurring Prime Minister Cameron to comment that "we should be treating drug driving as seriously as drink driving."

Australia was the first country to introduce roadside drug testing programmes, supported by a roadside testing and public awareness campaign. Over the past five years, the number of people charged with driving under the influence of drugs has dropped by half.

Commenting on this trend, the State of Victoria's Police Inspector Martin Boorman has said, "In Australia, the use of roadside drug testing technology has proved extremely successful and has certainly helped to make our roads safer. Roadside drug testing, much like the roadside alcohol screening test, acts as a deterrent, but also provides the police with a quick and effective means to help catch those people who drive while using illegal substances. This technology, used in conjunction with a widespread educational campaign, has and continues to be extremely successful."

Concateno will be demonstrating the new Alere™ DDS®2 on stand C70 in Hall 3 at Medica 2011, Dusseldorf, 16^th- 19^th November 2011. To book a demonstration, please contact[email protected] or call the Concateno PR team at Chameleon on +44 (0)20 7680 5500

Concateno - global drug testing services

Informed testing for informed decisions, when it matters most

Concateno (http://www.concateno.com) brings together Europe's strongest and most experienced drug and alcohol testing organisations and over 60 years of collected expertise. It offers an unparalleled breadth of advisory services and testing capabilities - spanning laboratory, point of care tests and all sample types for any biological specimen, including urine, oral fluids, hair and sweat.

Concateno's 400+ employees perform and deliver more than 10 million tests annually, supported by a global network of 500 sample collection officers, trained in-house on strict chain-of-custody procedures. Together, they conduct testing for approximately 8,500 clients in 130 countries around the world across all industries, healthcare and government bodies.

Concateno's dedicated divisions specialise in: Child Protection, Clinical Diagnostics, Criminal Justice, Employee Services, Healthcare and Maritime.

Quality is assured by the highest levels of accreditation, supported by expert and responsive customer service. Concateno's three UK laboratories are audited and accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing for substance misuse in hair, oral fluids and urine, respectively. Laboratory products and point of care test products are manufactured within ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified facilities. The company is also subject to a range of external quality assurance programmes, including UKNEQAS, IIP and CAP (US scheme).

In August 2009, Concateno became a subsidiary of Alere Inc., formerly known as Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (NYSE: ALR).

About Alere

By developing new capabilities in near-patient diagnosis, monitoring and health management, Alere Inc. (http://www.alere.com), formerly known as Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., enables individuals to take charge of improving their health and quality of life at home. Alere's global leading products and services, as well as its new product development efforts, focus on infectious disease, cardiology, oncology, drugs of abuse and women's health. Alere is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

1. Drummer O, Kourtis I, Beyer J, Tayler P, Boorman M. Gerostamoulos D. The prevalence of drugs in injured drivers. Forensic Science International. Published online 5 March 2011.

2. Pasi Kemppainen, President TISPOL, (European Traffic Police Network) Alcohol and Drugs Driving Policy Document, May 2011  https://www.tispol.org/policy-papers/alcohol-drugs-driving/tispol-alcohol-drugs-driving-policy-document accessed 7/11/11

3. Driving for Work: Drink and Drugs Policy [http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/workdrinkdrugs.pdf ] - (2006) Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/workdrinkdrugs.pdf accessed 3/11/11

For more information regarding Concateno, please contact:
Jo Lee / Sian Edwards
[email protected]
Chameleon PR
Tel:  +44(0)20-7680-5500
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Concateno plc