Reference laboratory Nona Scientific, Ocala, Fla, has released its Synthetic Urine Detection test, a new technology that can detect both synthetic and adulterated urine, including 18 classes of subversion and adulteration.
The laboratory’s goal for its cutting-edge technology is to help stop Florida’s spiraling opioid epidemic and save lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid overdoses kill close to 200 people daily in the United States. Moreover, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the cost of the opioid crisis was $696 billion in 2018—3.4% of the US gross domestic product—and more than $2.5 trillion for the 4-year period from 2015 to 2018.
“We are tired of everyone talking about the opioid epidemic but not using our technology to stop the epidemic in its tracks,” says Mike Palmer, CEO of Nona Scientific. “Awareness is crucial, but it is time to deploy breakthrough technology to save lives and help heal our communities and state. If someone has an addiction problem and they can pass a drug test 10 out of 10 times while abusing opioids, how can we get them help?”
Nona Scientific is also releasing an oral mouthwash saliva drug test that detects more than 100 different drugs. This technology will be important not only for ‘shy bladder’ patients, but also in in rehab settings, law enforcement, and workplaces.
For more information, visit Nona Scientific.
Featured image: Urine samples ready for study. Photo © Tatiana Belova, courtesy Dreamstime (ID 134698681).