Express Diagnostics Int’l Inc.'s first-ever onsite lateral flow test, for ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a unique biomarker of alcohol use, the new DrugCheck Rapid EtG urine test delivers accurate, reliable results in as little as one minute, at a fraction of the cost of lab-based EtG tests.
“Our new Rapid EtG test offers unheard of flexibility and efficiency for alcohol abstinence monitoring,” says Paul Johnson, CEO of Express Diagnostics. “The tremendous cost and time savings that the DrugCheck Rapid EtG offers administrators will be truly transformative for those organizations currently testing for EtG, not to mention the expanded markets that will now employ EtG testing due to the superior convenience, accuracy, and speed of this instant test. DrugCheck Rapid EtG is a true ‘game changer’ in onsite testing!”
Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance worldwide, but it is also the most difficult to detect via abstinence monitoring where alcohol consumption is prohibited. Abstinence monitoring is conducted in a range of environments, from criminal justice, probation, and parole, to treatment centers and the military. Because alcohol is rapidly cleared from the body, detection times in traditional alcohol (ethanol) testing are limited to a few hours after use, and therefore of limited use in abstinence monitoring. In contrast, EtG is a unique biological marker of alcohol use that can be detected up to 80 hours after alcohol ingestion.
EtG testing was first offered by laboratories around 2005 and was soon recognized as one of the most significant tools available for abstinence monitoring. While use of EtG testing grew initially, concerns over potential false-positive results from inadvertent, environmental alcohol exposure, such as mouthwash and hand sanitizers, began to limit use of the test. More recent research and development has advanced both the science of EtG testing and the understanding of appropriate cutoffs, or detection levels, for accurate detection of the alcohol biomarker.
The 500 ng/mL cutoff of the new DrugCheck Rapid EtG test is widely considered to be the optimal cutoff for EtG testing for abstinence monitoring. Positive results at the 500 ng/mL threshold for Rapid EtG are consistent with recent ingestion of alcohol – up to approximately 48 hours prior to specimen collection. Studies also indicate that positive results at this cutoff are not associated with incidental alcohol exposure, such as from mouthwash or hand sanitizer.
To perform a test with the DrugCheck Rapid EtG, simply dip the test strip into a urine specimen for 15 seconds. Negative results can be read in as little as one minute. Positive results are interpreted at 5 minutes and are stable for two hours. The test has a shelf life of two years from the date of manufacture.
The DrugCheck Rapid EtG test is for forensic use only and is intended for use only in alcohol abstinence monitoring for law enforcement, including correction centers, court systems, jails, police departments, probation offices, and other law enforcement organizations.
