The Times Sets the Record Straight on Hair Alcohol Testing and Trimega's Accreditation

LONDON, May 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimega Laboratories is pleased to report that The Times has published a correction today in relation to its misleading and inaccurate articles, published on March 26, which questioned the reliability of hair testing generally, as well as suggesting that some of Trimega's services were not properly accredited.

In essence, the paper now accepts that:

- all hair alcohol testing carried out by Trimega is accredited to internationally accepted standards; and

- Trimega's dual-test combination significantly increases the reliability of hair alcohol testing and sets a new benchmark standard for the industry.

Avi Lasarow, CEO of Trimega Laboratories, said: "We believe the correction in The Times now fairly acknowledges not only that our hair alcohol testing, which is conducted in Germany, is accredited to the highest international standards, but also that our dual hair testing processes show high levels of accuracy, as demonstrated by a peer review at the Society of Hair Testing's international conference in March this year.

"This is a positive outcome for the entire hair alcohol testing industry, which is working hard to advance the evidential role that it plays in assisting child protection."

The industry has successfully worked to reduce the percentage of false outcomes which arose under the single FAEE or EtG test processes. Trimega has contributed to increasing the rate of accuracy of hair alcohol testing way beyond that achieved through single test processes, by pioneering the use of the dual testing (combined FAEE and EtG).

Using 2,000 of Trimega's dual hair tested samples, the Society of Hair Testing confirmed at its conference that dual testing on hair for alcohol misuse (for FAEE and EtG) provides accuracy rates of over 94% for false negatives and over 99% for false positives.

As part of its commitment to Continuing Professional Development, Trimega is arranging a special conference for its clients about dual hair testing, which will take place in London, with full interactive web access for those that cannot attend.

The Times' articles can be viewed on page six of the paper published on May 18.

About Trimega Laboratories

Established in London in 2005, Trimega Laboratories is well recognised for being a leader in the development of innovative techniques for testing substances of abuse. Its core business is laboratory-based analysis of hair samples that provide accurate historical records of alcohol or drugs dependency over a one to 12 month period. In the UK, Trimega's core clients include: family law specialists, law courts, and social services.

Trimega was the first to market with dual marker hair alcohol testing (FAEE and EtG). Dual hair testing provides very accurate results: at its annual conference in March 2011, the Society of Hair Testing (SOHT) confirmed that dual testing on hair for alcohol misuse provides accuracy rates of over 94% for false negatives and over 99% for false positives. The SOHT's consensus was based on analysis of Trimega's data set of approximately 2,000 dual hair testing samples, the largest of its kind in the world.

Other services offered by Trimega include: Roadside Drugalyzer Testing for law enforcement, Hair Steroid Testing for athletes, and Hair Benzodiazepines Testing.

Trimega won the title of Best Use of Technology in the 2008 Barclays-sponsored Startups Awards, and has been on the shortlist for the National Business Awards three years running. Trimega is also one of 25 companies to represent the UK in the 2011 European Business Awards.

Trimega conducts its hair alcohol analysis in laboratories in Germany which are accredited with international standard ISO 17025 by DAkkS, the German issuing authority, equivalent to UKAS in the UK. The technology for hair-alcohol testing originated in Germany.

The UK Ministry of Justice does not require hair testing laboratories to be accredited. However, Trimega's UK laboratory in Manchester, which carries out drug tests, operates to ISO 17025 standards, and has applied for ISO 17025 accreditation from UKAS. Trimega's Manchester laboratory already has IS0 9001:2008 certification from Lloyd's Register Group, itself accredited by UKAS, for the 'provision of clinical collecting, testing, analysis and interpretation services for substances of abuse'. In addition, the Manchester laboratory is the only UK laboratory in the industry to have ISO 14001 certification from QMS International, the environmental management system standard for internal quality management. Trimega is an Investor in People.

Trimega was responsible for the creation of a Hair Strand Scientific Advisory Board. Its purpose is to analyse the fast growing database of information created from the 10,000 hair alcohol tests and 7,000 hair drug tests carried out on UK samples each year, of which Trimega is responsible for around 40 per cent. The findings of the Board are shared with the Society of Hair Testing which will assist it in future decisions, particularly those relating to the setting of universal standards/guidelines.