Rapid Drug Testing the Right Way:

The Key to a Successful In-House

Drug Testing Program
Drug testing is necessary in many industries and compliance scenarios, and rapid test popularity
has exploded in recent years. The combination of price decreases and mainstream recognition
of widespread drug use, such as we’ve seen with the opioid crisis, has pumped demand,
creating a fertile landscape for a highly lucrative industry to evolve.

In many cases, rapid tests have replaced lab tests as users can get the results they need faster
without impacting business continuity. The pricing of rapid tests has decreased by 85%, making
them more accessible than ever before—but with that increased availability comes a buyer-
beware caveat.

Not all rapid drug testing kits are created equal, and the fallout of an inaccurate result can hurt
the organization, the person tested, the community, and the economy.

The Pros and Cons of Rapid Drug Testing Kits

Rapid drug testing kit benefits are easy to understand. Results of such tests help employers and
other stakeholders maintain health and safety. There is a significant advantage to having test
results available quickly, especially when a new hire is contingent on a clean test.

Rapid testing is fast becoming the choice among users, as less reliance on laboratory testing
lowers the cost of doing business—at least on the surface. The philosophy is that the faster you
can get the testing out of the way, the quicker you can get back to business and enjoy peace of
mind, knowing that company policies and regulatory concerns are satisfied.

Approximately 56% of employers in the United States require either pre-employment drug
testing or random testing, or both, at a cumulative cost of $3,750,500,000 each year (Statistic
Brain)i.

Industry growth, wider accessibility, lower costs, and amplified need push employers and other
users towards test kits that might not deliver the best possible results. Kit quality can be an
issue, and when you’re using them to make consequential decisions, you can’t afford mistakes.

Failure Statistics for Commercially Available Rapid Drug Tests

Many commercially available rapid test kits are prone to failure. On average, test kits return
false positives in the range of 5-10%, and the incidence of false negatives is about 15%.
The impact of an inaccurate result can be hugely detrimental, both to the user and to the test
subject. A false positive could ruin an individual’s reputation, prevent them from getting a job
they are well-qualified for, or even cost them a job they’ve been performing successfully for
many years.

On the other side of the coin, a false negative puts everyone in danger. In criminal cases, a false
negative might result in grievous, irreparable harm done to others, which is clearly a situation
nobody wants to consider.

Additionally, many rapid drug tests don’t catch drugs like oxycodone, methadone, fentanyl, or
Subutexii—all opioids directly associated with high potential for abuse. Other classes of drugs a
standard test might miss include certain sedatives and hypnotics. Even some antibiotics could
show a false positive for opiates and might continue to do so as long as 18 hours after the last
dose.

Since there are no federal guidelines dictating acceptable thresholds for positive results, it
opens doors for tested individuals to “cheat” by diluting their samples to lower the
concentration or for users to skew the results based on personal bias or other reasons.

Users should undoubtedly consider the subject’s self-reported prescription and non-
prescription drug history, but overlooking a positive result based on these factors is not
enough. The only viable solution is using a more accurate and precise method, either from an
accredited lab or by using test kits that remove ambiguity and potential bias in interpretation.

Incidence of False-Positive Results from Rapid Testing and Lab Tests

False-positive situations can result from the presence of commonly prescribed drugs and even
over-the-counter drugs.iii Benadryl (diphenhydramine), for example, can result in a false
positive for methamphetamine, PCP, and sometimes methadone.

Metformin, which is often prescribed for psoriasis and certain types of cancer, could produce a
false positive for amphetamines, as can the decongestant Sudafed (pseudoephedrine).

Common anti-depressants, like Prozac and Zoloft, might return positive for LSD,
benzodiazepines (like Valium), or amphetamines.

Some foods, like poppy seeds or high concentrations of quinine, might also flag a false positive
for opiates or heroin. Most poppy seeds are processed enough not to be a risk, but it’s not
unheard of to have a positive test after ingesting poppy seeds. As quinine is often used to cut
heroin, it might set off some alarm bells if the numbers are higher than expected. Low
concentrations of quinine are possible from drinking tonic water, but higher amounts will show
when the individual is taking therapeutic doses, either for malaria or to treat muscle cramps.

As you can imagine, if you take rapid drug test results at face value, you could be causing
irreparable harm and trauma to the individual. Pursuant to that, you (as the testing
organization) open yourself up to legal action or civil rights inquiry, from which serious
reputational damage and financial hardship can result.

How Bias Impacts Drug Testing Results

The rapid drug testing market consists of individuals or organizations that purchase drug testing
kits and self-proclaim their expertise with no training or certification. Thus, the entire rapid
drug testing industry hinges on the “opinion” of the operator, and therefore fraught with errors
and bias.

To support this hypothesis, we repeatedly presented a group of test users with the same five
images of drug tests and asked them to interpret the results each time. Our findings indicated
that these users did not interpret the results consistently.

In one example, a test that was first reported negative was later in the survey reported positive.

Many users questioned the results and asked others for their opinion. Some rapid test users
exhibited biases towards or against certain ethnic groups.

Other test users allowed donor comments and external evidence to influence their
interpretation. For example, we found that a donor that admits to smoking marijuana before
taking a drug test is likely to return a positive interpretation, even when the test lines indicate a
negative result.

Some users reported feeling intimidated by the donor and were afraid to report a positive
result. Others stated that they needed a specific employee to pass the test because they were
out of viable candidates for the position. This particular example was a nursing facility, so you
can imagine the implications.

The problem is monumental—however, it can be solved decisively with an unbiased digital

computer system. Computers lack bias and do not consider extenuating circumstances,
resulting in a rapid drug test that is both accurate and objective.

User bias, a general lack of objective oversight, reliance on the opinions of untrained individuals
who have a vested interest in the results, and an inability to go back and support the opinion
results in scientifically worthless results that could well hurt instead of help.

Drilling Down: Rapid Drug Testing Issues

To recap the issues surrounding rapid drug testing in 2021:

1. Users Have No Training.

Many factors impact results and users are often oblivious to them. Many commercially
available rapid drug tests promise simplicity. They require no training or background to
get started, which is both a good and bad thing. On the plus side, rapid tests help to
 reduce the burden of time and expense. However, misinterpreted results can result in
cost and other inefficiencies, leading to bad hires, poorly considered decisions, and
generally reflecting badly on the person or organization administering the test.
2. Users Have Biases.
Cultural bias is clear and systemic across America. Many people won’t openly admit to
racism or cultural bias, but the prejudice is endemic. By the same token, a personal
disagreement, dislike, or preference for an individual might influence the interpretation
if there is leeway to do so.
3. Some Users Have a Financial Interest In The Result.
Rapid test users that need to fill a job position may overlook evidence of drug use if they
feel the need outweighs the risk. Other users lose money from a positive test as they
must overnight the sample to the lab and pay additional processing fees to confirm the
positive result. If a company is behind on their lab bills and the lab is pushing for
payments, they may consider calling more samples negative to reduce costs.
4. Users Guess at The Results.
It is remarkably common for users to pass a drug test around the office to gain
consensus. This is because there are no standards of what a positive or negative line
looks like to compare the result. Almost every honest rapid drug test user will admit to
guessing at results.
5. Users Do Not Have Oversight or Accountability.
Once a rapid drug test is read by the user and thrown in the trash, nobody can go back
and dispute the result. There is no record of the image or test; it is an entire industry
based on the phrase “take my word for it.”

Of course, there are more concerns, but the bottom line is, it’s an industry that leans heavily on
unreliable data.

Worthy, capable, and innocent people are being denied employment. Others are going to jail or
being released into society, where they continue to be a risk to themselves and others. Parents
are losing their children. Families are torn apart and reputations harmed, sometimes beyond
repair.

All this is to say; rapid drug test results are consequential. Anybody who is subject to a drug test
for any reason deserves the most accurate result possible, and that means choosing a reliable,
easily understood, and unbiased method that does not compromise the safety and wellbeing of
the individual, the community, or the organization administering the test.

Why Do Users Continue to Use Kits If They Know They Are Inaccurate?
With all the data to support the fallibility and inaccuracy of rapid test kits, the question on
everyone’s mind is—why. Why do we insist on using test kits that don’t do what they’re
supposed to do?
  Inexpensive. Most companies purchase the lowest-priced kit they can find and convince
themselves the kits work. Some kits do work very well, but unless the kits are tested,
companies do not really know.
 Control. When you are in charge of reading the results, you are in charge of who passes.
This presents an enormous conflict of interest as tests are not unbiased in any sense of
the word.
 Speed. Companies can act on a donor result in five minutes, meaning they can fulfill
their objective faster and accelerate their time-to-value. However, they should not act
unless they know the result is accurate, reliable, and can prove that the test kit works.

The Solution
To overcome the prevalent nature of these issues, in the absence of standardization, users
must prioritize a scientific approach that includes:

 Independent or unbiased interpretation. To remove bias from the process, users should
appoint or employ an independent party to interpret the results. This should be an
individual or organization that has no stake in the result, such as an independent lab or
a qualified technician to read and interpret the test kit results.
 Training and certification. Certification in drug screening and specimen collection is
relatively simple and fast and yields massive benefits for the user. Proper training
ensures a more accurate interpretation of the results and delivers long-lasting value to
the organization.
 Oversight. No one individual or team should be entirely responsible for test kit
interpretation. Oversight helps to reduce errors due to personal bias or organizational
pressure, and distributing this oversight across multiple teams or individuals helps to
reduce any pressure to arrive at a specific outcome.
 Long-term result storage leads to better data in the bigger picture. Most kits and
samples get tossed as soon as they are used. Even if the results are recorded, they are
subject to error based on some of the issues outlined above. Once the kit is gone, there
is no way to backtrack should a dispute arise. Computer-interpreted results, such as
those collected through a testing app, are capable of storing results indefinitely, giving
users high visibility into their subjects and their organizational testing program over
time.

The Business Benefits

In implementing these solutions, organizations will see many benefits, including:

 Reduction in drug use. Accurate results and an efficient testing process lead to greater
accountability and compliance that resonates throughout the organization.
 Accurate employee data. Track testing data over time, tracking employee history and
broader trends across the company.
 Hire the best candidates for the job. Verifiable results prove the value of rapid testing
kits by ensuring your new hires conform to health and safety standards.
  Reduction in liability. Knowing your employees are drug-free means fewer safety
incidents, less violence in the workplace, and reduced sick days.
 Improved corporate image. Inaccurate results are consequential, both for the employee
as well as the organization. An accurate testing program and unbiased approach reduce
the potential damage to your employer brand as well as your public-facing image.

Alternate solutions you might consider could include establishing an internal training program
and developing a detailed process around testing, tracking, and evaluating kits and results.

 Run controls and validate testing kits before use

 Print unique identifiers to stick onto test kits to trace each kit individually
 Track test results and store with digital images that have unique identifiers
 Digitally document every step of the process so you can backtrack if needed

A High-Level Solution to Ensure the Value of Your Rapid Drug Testing

Kit Program
So far, we’ve provided an overview of common issues with rapid drug testing kits and outlined
solutions to address them.

We’ve learned that, in best practice, your drug testing kit program should be performed with
verified kits and interpreted by an unbiased party. To gain visibility into your subjects and the
testing program over time, your results and methods should be tracked and held in a database.
Over time, that data can then be applied to solve business problems and add value to the
business.

To enable these capabilities and remove the inefficiencies associated with rapid drug testing
kits, Labb offers turnkey solutions, including test kits, a mobile app, a digital reader, and
comprehensive oversight and support for your office.

Test kit results are read by the digital reader and analyzed by the Labb Pro app, which
calculates results based on science—not opinion. Operating the system requires minimal
training, and we offer a certification program that is easy to obtain and will continue to add
value to your business for years to come.

Test results are based on scientific calculations, and each result is fully documented and
digitally trackable in the cloud. It’s not the only solution on the market, but we feel it’s the best,
as it has proven to be more accurate than most commercial rapid test kits and solves many of
the known problems in the current rapid drug testing landscape.

Technologies Used
Labb works on both iOS and Android devices, meaning you can install the system on your
existing hardware, either a smartphone or tablet.
The app contains a proprietary scanner that leverages the camera in your device to capture
images and document test results. Using the ID and test kit scanner reduces input errors,
speeds up the testing process, and stores results and images for as long as you require them for
internal use or to satisfy compliance.

Each test kit lot is validated before use to ensure viability, so you can be confident the results
are accurate.

How It Works
Labb Pro’s proprietary technology undergoes constant testing and scrutiny to ensure the
highest level of accuracy across all test types.

The scanner is made to work with our test kits. Simply place the sample cup into position, scan
the test results with the app. Labb Pro captures the image, processes, stores, interprets the test
lines, and delivers highly accurate results within minutes.

All results are validated with a high degree of precision, and less than 15% of images require a
secondary evaluation.

Workflows can be customized to meet your organizational needs, including unlimited test
panels, saved user profiles, advanced reporting, and secure login support for multiple users.

For organizations testing on-site at multiple locations, the Pocket Labb mobile app provides full-
featured support and anytime access to your online database.

Supported Industries
Myriad industries today require pre-employment, periodic, or random drug testing and
clearance. These include:

 Employment Agencies
 Healthcare and Home Healthcare Organizations
 Vulnerable Sector (children, elders, and disabled care)
 Criminal Justice Organizations
 Drug Treatment and Rehab Facilities
 Laboratories and Pharmaceutical Companies
 Government Agencies
 Large Corporations

Businesses operating in any of these industries rely on accurate data as anything less could
harm the workforce and the company as a whole. Ensuring accuracy means using the best
quality tests, ensuring their viability, reading them correctly, and being able to prove the results
anytime there is a question.
Market Trends in Rapid Drug Testing Kits
As the need for rapid drug testing grows across both private and public sectors, the need for
high-quality, low-cost, user-friendly solutions is also on the rise.

Technology costs continue to drop, so the adoption of device and cloud-based solutions have
grown. Pro Reader has increased its user base by over 200% over the past two years. Though
Labb Pro Reader is not the only solution on the market, it is certainly among the most cost-
effective and user-friendly solutions available today.

Other systems currently on the market include:

 eScreeniv offers a system similar to Labb Pro in some ways. However, their business
model is geared to the transportation industry and appears to be a division of Abbott
Pharmaceuticals and associated with CRL, one of the largest testing labs in the United
States. It encompasses a range of testing options, including electronic screening and
physical testing and sample collection at pre-determined locations. Like Labb Pro, their
software captures results from proprietary collection containers and stores the
information in an online database that can be accessed from any device.

 i3Screenv is a screening management solution that connects organizations to 14 national

labs, thousands of service providers, occupational clinics, and background screening
providers. Still, they lack support for a rapid self-testing program and are more geared
to the enterprise.

Labb Pro Features

Labb Pro is a comprehensive, stand-alone solution for any organization that requires pre-
employment or periodic rapid drug testing, no labs required. Simply purchase the test kits you
need and pay as you go. Labb Pro requires a brief training to get up to speed with the functions
and features, and within 15 minutes, most users are proficient.

Features include:

 24/7/365 user support and monitoring to ensure accuracy and compliance

 Initial hardware purchase of USD 149 for the Pro Reader
 Subscription cost of $20 per month
 Test kits start as low as $2.90 per month

Kit pricing reflects costs within $1-2 of manual-read kits, with the advantage of near-perfect
accuracy, unbiased result interpretation, and an advanced analytics platform to help you gain
critical insights into your testing program. The reader is guaranteed for 24 months.

Each eTest cup is directly connected to Quest Diagnostics, so should you require lab
confirmation for a non-negative test, simply send the eTest cup overnight via FedEx, and the
results will be in your Labb Pro database within 24-48 hours.
Labb Pro is not approved for use in some states.

Labb Pro Business Benefits

Labb Pro’s ease of use, best-in-class customer support, cost-efficiency, and scalable testing
services are ideal for just about any business need.

Clients enjoy:

 Significant reduction in false positives, as results are software-analyzed and unbiased.

 Measurable return on investment from better new hires and compliance in less time.
 Reduced lab fees or lab fees included when you bundle your services with Labb & MRO.
 Reliably accurate for all rapid drug testing needs.
 Paperless secondary testing: certified lab results are added directly to your online
database.
 Legally defensible.
 More affordable than traditional lab testing and just as accurate in most cases.

Systems and Certification

Some of our test kits contain FDA 510k and CLIA waived status, meaning they are cleared and
approved for use by non-professionals, such as non-technical employees of a company.

We also support kits for forensic use and some that are classified for employment and
insurance purposes only. Labb is preparing to file for FDA 510(k)vi clearance on the Pro Reader
system in 2022.

ABOUT LABB

Launched in 2017, Labb is a Portsmouth, VA, based company that produced the industry’s first
mobile drug testing app. Their proprietary hardware and software combination leverages
existing tablet technology, which provided access to low-cost readers. The Pocket Labb app
(formerly called Smart Screens) is not only the first mobile app in the industry but the first and
only app that works with dip cards, urine cups, and oral fluid swabs. The patented technology
allows users to create custom panel configurations using any of the eTest kits offered. The
customization advantage provides the most extensive panel configuration options in the
industry, with over 250,000 testing choices. In 2021, Labb released its first BYOD (Bring your
own device) app that is now available for both iOS and Android devices.

To learn more about the Labb Pro scanner and ecosystem, we encourage you to reach out to
our team.
i
https://www.predictivesafety.com/blog/drug-testing-disadvantages
ii
https://www.scientiadx.com/positive-drug-test-list-of-causes/
iii
https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=13837
iv
https://www.escreen.com/us/home.html
v
https://i3screen.com/
vi
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/device-approvals-denials-and-clearances/510k-clearances