ABMC's Rapid One Oxy Rates Best in Independent Analysis of Opiate Testing Systems

Business Wire, June 18, 2003

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

KINDERHOOK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2003

On-Site Assay is the Only Test to Demonstrate 100 Percent

Reliability for Detecting Oxycodone

American Bio Medica Corporation (Nasdaq:ABMC) today announced that a comprehensive comparison of opiate test results from four testing systems showed that the ABMC Rapid One(R) Oxy assay was the only test that demonstrated 100 percent reliability for returning positive results for oxycodone, a commonly-abused prescription pain medication.

The study was performed by a team of researchers from the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and the University of California, Los Angeles. It involved 158 patient samples tested for opiates using the Beckman LX 20, the Abbott AxSYM, the BioRad REMEDi HS, and Rapid One Oxy systems. All systems were evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Rapid One Oxy demonstrated 99 percent sensitivity, 100 percent specificity, 100 percent positive predictive value, and 98 percent negative predictive value for oxycodone - the highest scores in all four categories. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, the LX 20, AxSYM and REMEDi HS performed at 85 and 100 percent, 93 and 98 percent, and 82 and 100 percent, respectively. Detailed results from the study will be released at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry in Philadelphia, July 20-24.

According to ABMC chairman and chief executive officer Gerald A. Moore, the results are significant because Rapid One Oxy is an on-site diagnostic assay, and the other three systems are expensive, laboratory instruments, typically based in a clinical setting.

"The study showed that the laboratory-based drugs of abuse screening methods fail to consistently pick up oxycodone as reliably as Rapid One Oxy," said Moore. "These independent results are a tremendous justification of Rapid One Oxy as the leading diagnostic assay for detecting oxycodone, not only in terms of cost and convenience, but in terms of straight performance. We simply beat more expensive, larger systems with an on-site test."

Oxycodone ("Oxy") is an effective and important prescription medication used to treat chronic pain. It is sold under the trade name OxyContin(R). Unfortunately, the drug has seen a recent increase in illicit use, and has been linked to a number of overdose deaths, injuries, and crime. The recent surge in oxy abuse led ABMC to develop its on-site test specifically for oxycodone detection by law enforcement, workplace, and health care drug testing programs.

Rapid One Oxy is currently the only FDA-cleared on-site assay specifically for oxycodone detection.

For more information on ABMC drug testing products, please visit www.abmc.com

About American Bio Medica Corporation

American Bio Medica Corporation is a biotechnology company that develops manufactures and markets accurate, cost-effective immunoassay diagnostic test kits, including some of the world's most effective on-site drugs of abuse tests. The company and its worldwide distribution network target the workplace, government, corrections, clinical and educational markets. ABMC's Rapid Drug Screen(R), Rapid One, Rapid Tec(R) and Rapid Tec Cup(TM) test for the presence or absence of drugs of abuse in urine, while OralStat(R) tests for the presence or absence of drugs of abuse in saliva. ABMC was recently named among the 2002 Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 500, a listing of the fastest-growing technology companies in North America.

This release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ, and such differences could be material. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition in our industry, the acceptance of new products, inherent risks associated with product development and intellectual property rights, the Company's dependence on key personnel, third party sales and suppliers. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in addressing such risks and uncertainties. Investors are strongly encouraged to review the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, and quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of risks and uncertainties that could affect operating results and the market price of the Company's common shares.

OxyContin is a registered trademark of Purdue Pharma