You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report and our other SEC filings, in considering our business and prospects. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not disclosed or not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. The occurrence of any of the following risks could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Regulatory Risks

The Need to Obtain Regulatory Approvals Could Increase Our Costs and Adversely Affect Our Financial Performance.

Many of our proposed and existing products are subject to regulation by the FDA and other governmental or public health agencies. In particular, we are subject to strict governmental controls on the development, manufacture, labeling, distribution and marketing of our products. In addition, we are often required to obtain approval or registration with foreign governments or regulatory bodies before we can import and sell our products in foreign countries.

The process of obtaining required approvals or registrations from governmental or public health agencies can involve lengthy and detailed laboratory testing, human clinical trials, sampling activities and other costly, time-consuming procedures. These approvals and registrations can require the submission of a large amount of clinical data which can be expensive and may require significant time to obtain. It is also possible that a product will not perform at a level needed to generate the clinical data required to obtain approval or registration. The submission of an application to the FDA or other international regulatory authority does not guarantee that an approval or registration to market the product will be received. A regulatory authority may impose its own requirements as a condition to granting an approval or registration, may include significant restrictions or limitations as part of any approval or clearance it grants and may delay or refuse to grant approval or registration, even though a product has been approved without restrictions or limitations in another country or by another agency.

The process required for approval or registration of our new products can be lengthy and may increase the costs associated with developing those products, as well as the risk that we will not succeed in introducing or selling them in the United States or other countries. Our future performance depends on, among other things, our estimates as to when and at what cost we will receive regulatory approvals and registrations for new products.

We are conducting the final phase of clinical studies to support an application for FDA approval of our OraQuick ^® HIV-1/2 test for sale in the United States OTC market. Since a rapid HIV test has never before been approved by the FDA for OTC use, its approval will depend on our further discussions with the FDA and its advisory committees and our ability to successfully complete the remaining clinical work. In addition, we recently received FDA approval of our OraQuick ^® HCV test for use with venous whole blood and finger-stick blood specimens, and we plan to seek FDA approval for an oral fluid claim and a CLIA waiver for this product. There can be no assurance that our clinical trials will support FDA approval of an OraQuick ^® HIV OTC test or that we will obtain any future approvals for our OraQuick ^® HCV test. Failure to obtain or any delay in obtaining these approvals for either product could significantly reduce future revenues, increase our costs and adversely affect our financial performance and prospects.

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In addition, all in vitro diagnostic products that are to be sold in the EU must bear the CE mark indicating conformance with the essential requirements of the IVDD. We are not permitted to sell our products in the EU without a CE mark. We have obtained the CE mark for several of our existing products. We also intend to obtain CE mark for certain of our future products and are not aware of any material reason why we will be unable to do so. However, there can be no assurance that compliance with all provisions of the IVDD will be demonstrated and the CE mark will be obtained or maintained for all products that we desire to sell in the EU. The failure to obtain or maintain the CE mark for one or more of our products could lead to the termination of strategic alliances and agreements for sales of those products in the EU.

Our Ability to Respond to Changes in Regulatory Requirements Could Adversely Affect Our Business.

Newly promulgated regulations could require changes to our products, necessitate additional clinical trials or procedures, or could make it impractical or impossible for us to market our products for certain uses, in certain markets, or at all. In addition, the FDA and other regulatory authorities have the ability to change the requirements for obtaining product approval and/or impose new or additional requirements as part of the approval process. These changes or new or additional requirements may occur after the completion of substantial clinical work and other costly development activities. The implementation of such changes or new or additional requirements may result in additional clinical trials and substantial additional costs and can delay or make it more difficult or complicated to obtain product approvals.

Failure to Comply With FDA or Other Regulatory Requirements May Require Us to Suspend Production of Our Products or Institute a Recall Which Could Result in Higher Costs and a Loss of Revenues.

Our businesses are extensively regulated by the FDA and other federal, state and foreign regulatory agencies. Our suppliers and distributors often are subject to similar regulation. These regulations impact many aspects of our operations, and the operations of our suppliers and distributors, including manufacturing, labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and record keeping. For example, our manufacturing facilities and those of our suppliers and distributors are, or can be, subject to periodic regulatory inspections. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies may require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the performance of approved products or place conditions on any product approvals that could restrict the commercial applications of those products. In addition, the subsequent discovery of previously unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product, including withdrawal of the product from the market. We are also subject to routine inspection by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with Quality System Requirement and Medical Device Reporting requirements in the United States and other applicable regulations worldwide, including but not limited to ISO regulations.

Although we believe that we have adequate processes in place to ensure compliance with these requirements, the FDA or other regulatory bodies could force us to stop manufacturing, selling or exporting our products if it concludes that we are out of compliance with applicable regulations. The ability of our suppliers to supply critical components or materials and of our distributors to sell our products could be adversely affected if their operations are determined to be out of compliance. The FDA and other regulatory bodies could also require us to recall products if we fail to comply with applicable regulations, which could force us to stop manufacturing and selling such products. Such actions by the FDA and other regulatory bodies could adversely affect our revenues, costs and results of operations.

In the ordinary course of business, we must frequently make subjective judgments with respect to compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If regulators subsequently disagree with the manner in which we have sought to comply with these regulations, we could be subjected to substantial civil and criminal penalties, as well as product recall, seizure or injunction with respect to the sale of our products. The assessment of any civil and criminal penalties against us could severely impair our reputation within the industry and any limitation on our ability to manufacture and market our products could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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Our Inability to Manufacture Products in Accordance With Applicable Specifications, Performance Standards or Quality Requirements Could Adversely Affect Our Business.

The materials and processes used to manufacture our products must meet detailed specifications, performance standards and quality requirements to ensure our products will perform in accordance with their label claims, our customers’ expectations and applicable regulatory requirements. As a result, our products and the materials used in their manufacture or assembly undergo regular inspections and quality testing. Factors such as defective materials or processes, mechanical failures, human errors, environmental conditions, changes in materials or production methods by our vendors, and other events or conditions could cause our products or the materials used to produce or assemble our products to fail inspections and quality testing.

Any failure or delay in our ability to meet the applicable specifications, performance standards or quality requirements could adversely affect our ability to manufacture and sell our products or comply with regulatory requirements. These events could, in turn, adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

We Are Subject to Numerous Government Regulations in Addition to FDA Requirements, Which Could Increase Our Costs or Affect Our Operations.

In addition to the FDA and other regulations described previously, regulations in some states may restrict our ability to sell products in those states. While we intend to work with state legislators and regulators to remove or modify any applicable restrictions, there is no guarantee we will be successful in these efforts.

We must also comply with numerous laws relating to such matters as safe working conditions, manufacturing practices, environmental protection, fire hazard control, disposal of hazardous substances and labor or employment practices. Compliance with these laws or any new or changed laws regulating our business could result in substantial costs. Because of the number and extent of the laws and regulations affecting our industry, and the number of governmental agencies whose actions could affect our operations, it is impossible to reliably predict the full nature and impact of these requirements. To the extent the costs and procedures associated with complying with these laws and requirements are substantial or it is determined that we do not comply, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Compliance With Regulations Governing Public Company Corporate Governance and Reporting is Complex and Expensive.

Many laws and regulations impose obligations on public companies, which have increased the scope, complexity and cost of corporate governance, reporting and disclosure practices. Examples include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the requirements of the NASDAQ Global Market, The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC’s requirements for public companies to provide financial statements in interactive data format using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language, or XBRL, and the International Financial Reporting Standards conversion requirements. Our implementation of certain aspects of these laws and regulations has required and will continue to require substantial management time and oversight and may require us to incur significant additional accounting and legal costs. We continually evaluate and monitor developments with respect to new and proposed rules and cannot predict or estimate the ultimate amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. These laws and regulations are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over a time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. Although we are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance and public disclosure, if we fail to comply with any of these requirements, legal proceedings may be initiated against us and we may be harmed.

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Federal and State Laws Pertaining to Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Could Materially Adversely Affect Our Business, Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

We are subject to various federal and state laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry, including anti-kickback laws, false claims laws and marketing conduct laws, including laws constraining the sales, marketing and other promotional activities of manufacturers of medical devices by limiting the kinds of financial arrangements, including sales programs, with physicians, hospitals, laboratories and other potential purchasers of medical devices. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal or civil sanctions, including substantial fines, imprisonment and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Many of the existing requirements are new and have not been definitively interpreted by state authorities or courts, and available guidance is limited. Unless and until we are in full compliance with these laws, we could face enforcement action and fines and other penalties, and could receive adverse publicity, all of which could materially harm our business. In addition, changes in these laws, regulations, or administrative or judicial interpretations, may require us to change our business practices or subject our existing business practices to legal challenges, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Industry, Business and Strategy

Our Ability to Sell Products Could be Adversely Affected by Competition From New and Existing Diagnostic Products.

The diagnostics industry is focused on the testing of biological specimens in a laboratory or at the point of care and is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Many of our principal competitors have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources. As new products enter the market, our products may become obsolete or a competitor’s products may be more effective or more effectively marketed and sold than ours. If we fail to maintain and enhance our competitive position, our customers may decide to use products developed by competitors which could result in a loss of revenues.

We also face competition from products which are sold at a lower price. Where this occurs, customers may choose to buy lower cost products from third parties or we may be forced to sell our products at a lower price, both of which could result in a loss of revenues or a lower gross margin contribution from the sale of our products. We may also be required to increase our marketing efforts in order to compete effectively, which would increase our costs.

Our Research, Development and Commercialization Efforts May Not Succeed and Our Competitors May Develop and Commercialize More Effective or Successful Diagnostic Products.

In order to remain competitive, we must regularly commit substantial resources to research and development and the commercialization of new or enhanced products. The research and development process generally takes a significant amount of time from product inception to commercial launch. This process is conducted in various stages. During each stage there is a substantial risk that we will not achieve our goals on a timely basis, or at all, and we may have to abandon a new or enhanced product in which we have invested substantial time and money.

During 2010, 2009 and 2008, we incurred $13.2 million, $13.4 million and $20.3 million, respectively, in research and development expenses. We expect to continue to incur significant costs related to our research and development activities.

Successful products require significant development and investment, including testing, to demonstrate their cost-effectiveness or other benefits prior to commercialization. In addition, regulatory approval must be obtained before most products may be sold. Additional development efforts on these products can be required before any

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regulatory authority will review them. As noted above, regulatory authorities may not approve these products for commercial sale or can substantially delay approval. In addition, even if a product is developed and all applicable regulatory approvals are obtained, there may be little or no market for the product. Accordingly, if we fail to develop and gain commercial acceptance for our products, or if competitors develop more effective products or a greater number of successful new products, customers may decide to use products developed by our competitors. This would result in a loss of revenues and adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow and business.

Failure to Achieve Our Financial and Strategic Objectives Could Have a Material Adverse Impact on Our Business Prospects.

As a result of any number of risk factors identified in this Annual Report, no assurance can be given that we will be successful in implementing our financial and strategic objectives, including our clinical development programs for a rapid HIV OTC test and/or a rapid HCV test using the OraQuick ^® technology platform. In addition, the funds for the foregoing projects have in the past come primarily from our business operations. If our business slows and we have less money available to fund research and development and clinical programs, we will have to decide at that time which programs to cut, and by how much. Similarly, if adequate financial, personnel, equipment or other resources are not available, we may be required to delay or scale back our strategic efforts. Our operations will be adversely affected if our total revenue and gross profits do not correspondingly increase or if our technology, product, clinical and market development efforts are unsuccessful or delayed. Furthermore, our failure to successfully introduce new or enhanced products and develop new markets could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

If We Lose Our Key Personnel or Are Unable to Attract and Retain Qualified Personnel as Necessary, Our Business Could be Harmed.

Our success depends to a large extent upon the contributions of our executive officers, management and sales, marketing, operations and scientific staff. We may not be able to attract or retain a sufficient number of qualified employees in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among medical products and other life science businesses. We generally do not enter into employment agreements requiring our employees to work for us for any specified period.

If we are not able to attract and retain the necessary personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will adversely affect our ability to effectively manufacture, sell and market our products, to meet the demands of our strategic partners in a timely fashion, or to support research, development and clinical programs. Although we believe we will be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel, competition for experienced scientists and other personnel from numerous companies and academic and other research institutions may limit our ability to do so on acceptable terms.

Future Acquisitions or Investments Could Disrupt Our Ongoing Business, Distract Our Management, Increase Our Expenses and Adversely Affect Our Business.

We may consider strategic acquisitions or investments as a way to expand our business in the future. These activities, and their impact on our business, are subject to many risk factors, including the following:

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The occurrence of one or more of the above or other factors may prevent us from achieving all or a significant part of the benefits expected from an acquisition or investment. This may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and ability to grow our business or otherwise achieve our financial and strategic objectives.

Our Revenues Could be Affected by Third-Party Reimbursement Policies and Potential Cost Constraints.

The end-users of our products include hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers. Use of our products could be adversely impacted if end-users do not receive adequate reimbursement for the cost of our products from their patients’ healthcare insurers or payors. Our net sales could also be adversely affected by changes in reimbursement policies of governmental or private healthcare payors, including in particular the level of reimbursement for our products.

In the United States, healthcare providers such as hospitals and physicians who purchase diagnostic products generally rely on third-party payors, such as private health insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid, to reimburse all or part of the cost of the product and procedure. The overall escalating cost of medical products and services has led to, and will continue to lead to, increased pressures on the healthcare industry, both foreign and domestic, to reduce the cost of products and services. Given the efforts to control and reduce healthcare costs in the United States in recent years, currently available levels of reimbursement may not continue to be available in the future for our existing products or products under development. Third-party reimbursement and coverage may not be available or adequate in either the United States or foreign markets, current reimbursement amounts may be decreased in the future and future legislation, and regulation or reimbursement policies of third-party payors, may reduce the demand for our products or our ability to sell our products on a profitable basis.

Changes in Healthcare Regulation Could Affect Our Revenues, Costs and Financial Condition.

In recent years, there have been numerous initiatives on the federal and state levels for comprehensive reforms affecting the payment for, the availability of and reimbursement for healthcare services in the United States. These initiatives have ranged from proposals to fundamentally change federal and state healthcare reimbursement programs, including providing comprehensive healthcare coverage to the public under governmental funded programs, to minor modifications to existing programs. One example is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Federal healthcare reform law enacted in 2010 (“Affordable Care Act”). Similar reforms may occur internationally.

Legislative and regulatory bodies are likely to continue to pursue healthcare reform initiatives and may continue to reduce the funding of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including Medicare Advantage, in an

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effort to reduce overall federal healthcare spending. In addition, the new Affordable Care Act is expected to impose a 2.3% excise tax on certain transactions, including U.S. sales of many medical devices, which we expect will include domestic sales of our products. This new tax is scheduled to take effect in 2013.

The ultimate content or timing of any future healthcare reform legislation, and its impact on us, is impossible to predict. If significant reforms are made to the healthcare system in the United States, or in other jurisdictions, those reforms may increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Increases in Demand for Our Products Could Require Us to Expend Considerable Resources or Harm Our Customer Relationships if We are Unable to Meet That Demand.

If we experience significant or unexpected increases in the demand for our products, we and our suppliers may not be able to meet that demand without expending additional capital resources. These capital resources could involve the cost of new machinery or even the cost of new manufacturing facilities. This would increase our capital costs, which could adversely affect our earnings. Our suppliers may be unable or unwilling to expend the necessary capital resources or otherwise expand their capacity. In addition, new manufacturing equipment or facilities may require FDA approval before they can be used to manufacture our products. To the extent we are unable to obtain or are delayed in obtaining such approvals, our ability to meet the demand for our products could be adversely affected.

If we or our suppliers are unable to develop necessary manufacturing capabilities in a timely manner, our sales could be adversely affected. If we fail to increase production volumes in a cost effective manner or if we experience lower than anticipated yields or production problems as a result of changes that we or our suppliers make in our manufacturing processes to meet increased demand, we could experience shipment delays or interruptions and increased manufacturing costs, which could also have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

Unexpected increases in demand for our products may require us to obtain additional raw materials in order to manufacture products to meet the demand. Some raw materials require significant ordering lead time and some are currently obtained from a sole supplier or a limited group of suppliers. We have long-term supply agreements with many of these suppliers, but these long-term agreements involve risks for us, such as our potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of raw materials and components and our reduced control over pricing, quality and timely delivery. It is also possible that one or more of these suppliers may become unwilling or unable to deliver materials to us. Any shortfall in our supply of raw materials and components, or our inability to quickly and cost-effectively obtain alternative sources for this supply, could have a material adverse effect on our total revenues or cost of sales and related profits.

Our inability to meet customer demand for our products could also harm our customer relationships and impair our reputation within the industry. This, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

Risks Relating to Collaborators

The Use of Sole Supply Sources or Third Party Suppliers For Critical Components of Our Products Could Adversely Affect Our Business.

We currently purchase certain critical components of our products from sole supply sources or other third party suppliers. For example, all of the HIV antigen and nitrocellulose required to make our OraQuick ADVANCE ^® HIV-1/2 test and OraQuick ^® HCV test is currently purchased from sole source suppliers. Our OraSure QuickFlu™ test is obtained from a sole source supplier. In addition, the conjugates used in our MICROPLATE oral fluid drugs of abuse assays are obtained from third party suppliers.

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If these suppliers are unable or unwilling to supply the required component or product or if they make changes in the component or product or do not supply materials meeting our specifications, we may need to find another source and perform additional development work. We may also need to obtain FDA or other regulatory approvals for the use of the alternative component for our products. Completing that development and obtaining such approvals could require significant time and may not occur at all. The availability of critical components and products from sole supply sources or other third parties could also reduce our control over pricing, quality and timely delivery. These events could either disrupt our ability to manufacture and sell certain of our products, or completely prevent us from doing so or increase our costs. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flow and business.

Our Failure to Maintain Existing Distribution Channels, or Develop New Distribution Channels, May Result in Lower Revenues.

We have marketed many of our products by collaborating with laboratories, diagnostic companies and distributors. Our sales depend to a substantial degree on our ability to sell products to these customers and on the marketing and distribution abilities of the companies with which we collaborate.

Relying on distributors or others to market and sell our products could harm our business for various reasons, including:

Although we will try to maintain and expand our business with distributors and customers and require that they fulfill their contractual obligations, there can be no assurance that such companies will do so or that new distribution channels will be available on satisfactory terms. As a result, our revenues and business could be adversely affected.

Some of our distributors have also consolidated and such consolidation has had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on the level of orders for our products. In addition, some distributors have experienced, and may continue to experience, pressure from their customers to reduce the price of their products and testing services. This may cause customers to stop using our products or to purchase or manufacture lower cost alternatives.

The Unavailability of an FDA-Approved HIV-1 EIA Screening Test Distributed by a Third Party Could Adversely Affect Sales of Our OraSure ^® Oral Fluid Collection Device.

In testing an oral fluid sample collected with an OraSure ^® device for HIV-1 in the United States, our customers must use an HIV-1 EIA screening test approved by the FDA for use with our OraSure ^® collection device. There is currently only one company, Avioq, Inc., that manufactures and sells such an FDA-approved screening test. If at some point in the future our customers cannot purchase the Avioq HIV-1 EIA or otherwise obtain an HIV-1 EIA screening test that has been approved by the FDA for use with our OraSure ^® collection device, sales of our OraSure ^® device could be negatively affected.

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We May Need Strategic Partners to Assist in Developing and Commercializing Some of Our Diagnostic Products.

Although we intend to pursue some product opportunities independently, opportunities that require a significant level of investment for development and commercialization or a distribution network beyond our existing sales force may necessitate involving one or more strategic partners. Our strategy for development and commercialization of products may entail entering into arrangements with distributors or other corporate partners, universities, research laboratories, licensees and others. Relying on collaborative relationships could be risky to our business for a number of reasons, including:

While we expect that our current and future collaborative partners have and will have an economic motivation to succeed in performing their contractual responsibilities, there is no assurance that they will do so and the amount and timing of resources to be devoted to these activities will be controlled by others. Consequently, there can be no assurance that any revenues or profits will be derived from such arrangements.

We may need to collaborate with one or more third parties or find new product distribution channels in order to commercialize our OraQuick ^® HIV-1/2 test in the United States OTC market should we receive approval from the FDA. In order to successfully commercialize an OraQuick ^® HIV OTC test, we and/or our distributors may need to invest significantly in advertising and promotion in order to sell this product. If we are unable to collaborate with a third party having sufficient resources to assist in these efforts or find alternative distribution channels to access the OTC market, we may need to incur significant costs for advertising and promotion, and our ability to maximize our future revenues and profits from this opportunity could be adversely affected.

Actions of a Third Party Inventory Management and Logistics Provider Could Adversely Affect Our Ability to Supply Products to our Customers.

In order to improve efficiencies, beginning in 2011 we will be using a third party logistics provider to store and manage our finished goods inventory and ship finished product to our customers. We have selected a highly reputable provider with extensive experience in the logistics field and have negotiated a long-term service agreement for these services. However, in the event our provider loses or damages our product, experiences a casualty or catastrophic event at its warehouse or otherwise fails to meet the requirements of our agreement for the safe storage and timely handling and delivery of our products, we could incur additional costs, experience difficulty in supplying our products to our customers or suffer damage to our reputation in the industry. These events could, in turn, reduce our revenues and adversely affect our results of operations.

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Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

Our Success Depends on Our Ability to Protect Our Proprietary Technology.

The diagnostics industry places considerable importance on obtaining patent, trademark and trade secret protection, as well as other intellectual property rights, for new technologies, products and processes. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and maintain a strong intellectual property portfolio or obtain licenses to patents and technologies both in the United States and in other countries. If we cannot continue to develop, obtain and protect intellectual property rights, our revenue and gross profits could be adversely affected. Moreover, our current and future licenses or other rights to patents and other technologies may not be adequate for the operation of our business.

As appropriate, we intend to file patent applications and obtain patent protection for our proprietary technology. These patent applications and patents will cover, as applicable, compositions of matter for our products, methods of making those products, methods of using those products and apparatus relating to the use or manufacture of those products.

We will also rely on trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological advancements to protect our proprietary technology. We have entered, and will continue to enter, into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators. Our employees and third party consultants also sign agreements requiring that they assign to us interests in inventions and original expressions and any patents or copyrights arising from their work. However, these parties may not honor these agreements.

We cannot guarantee that the process of filing patents, the laws governing trade secrets and proprietary information, or any agreements we enter into with employees, consultants, advisors or collaborators will provide adequate protection of our intellectual property rights. Moreover, issued patents remain in effect for a fixed period and after expiration will not provide protection of the inventions they cover. We may also not be able to successfully protect our rights to unpatented trade secrets and know-how. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets and know-how.

Some of our employees, including scientific and management personnel, were previously employed by competing companies. Although we encourage and expect all of our employees to abide by any confidentiality agreement with a prior employer, competing companies may allege trade secret violations and similar claims against us.

We may collaborate with universities and governmental research organizations which, as a result, may acquire part of the rights to any inventions or technical information derived from our collaboration with them.

To facilitate development and commercialization of a proprietary technology base, we may need to obtain licenses to patents or other proprietary rights from other parties. Obtaining and maintaining such licenses may require the payment of substantial amounts. In addition, if we are unable to obtain these types of licenses, our product development and commercialization efforts may be delayed or precluded.

We May Become Involved in Intellectual Property Disputes, Which Could Increase our Costs and Limit or Eliminate Our Ability to Sell Our Products or Use Certain of Our Technologies in the Future.

From time to time, we may seek to enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights through litigation. In addition, there are a large number of patents and patent applications in our product areas, and additional patents may be issued to third parties relating to our product areas. We or our customers may be sued for infringement of patents or misappropriation of other intellectual property rights with respect to one or more of our products. Litigation in our industry regarding patent and other intellectual property rights is prevalent and is expected to continue.

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Our industry is characterized by a large number of patents, claims of which appear to overlap in many cases. As a result, there is a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the extent of patent protection and infringement. Companies may have pending patent applications, which are typically confidential for the first eighteen months following filing, that cover technologies we incorporate in our products. Accordingly, we may be subjected to substantial damages for past infringement or be required to modify our products or stop selling them if it is ultimately determined that our products infringe a third party’s proprietary rights. In addition, governmental agencies could commence investigations or criminal proceedings against our employees or us relating to claims of misuse or misappropriation of another party’s proprietary rights.

Our involvement in litigation or other legal proceedings with respect to patents or other intellectual property and proprietary technology, either as a plaintiff or defendant, could adversely affect our revenues, market share, results of operations and business because:

We may indemnify some customers and strategic partners under our agreements with such parties if our products or activities have actually or allegedly infringed upon, misappropriated or misused another party’s proprietary rights. Further, our products may contain technology provided to us by other parties, such as contractors, suppliers or customers, and we may have little or no ability to determine in advance whether such technology infringes the intellectual property rights of a third party. These other parties may also not be required or financially able to indemnify us in the event that an infringement or misappropriation claim is asserted against us.

We may also become involved in other types of disputes regarding intellectual property rights, including state, federal or foreign court litigation, and patent interference, patent reexamination, patent reissue, or trademark opposition proceedings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Opposition or revocation proceedings could be instituted in a foreign patent office. An adverse decision in any proceeding regarding intellectual property rights could result in the loss or limitation of our rights to a patent, an invention or trademark.

The Sales Potential for Our OraQuick ^® Products Could be Affected by Our Ability to Obtain Certain Licenses and by Future Litigation.

Our OraQuick ^® test platform is a lateral flow assay that tests for specific antibodies or other substances. The term “lateral flow” generally refers to a test strip through which a sample flows and which provides a test result on a portion of the strip downstream from where the sample is applied. There are numerous patents in the United States and other countries which claim lateral flow assay methods and devices. There are also patents that cover

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the type of analyte (i.e., HIV-1, HIV-2, HCV, etc.) which our OraQuick ^® test is designed to detect. Some of these patents may broadly cover the aspects of our OraQuick ^® test and are in force in the United States and other countries. We may not be able to make or sell the OraQuick ^® test in the United States or other countries where these patents are in force.

We have obtained licenses under several lateral flow patents, and assays directed at specific analytes, which we believe are sufficient to permit the manufacturing and sale of the OraQuick ^® device as currently contemplated. However, licenses under additional patents may be required and it is possible that a third party could seek to enforce one or more patents against us.

If we are unable to successfully defend against or resolve patent infringement litigation or it is determined that a license is required and it is not possible to negotiate or otherwise obtain a license agreement on reasonable terms under a necessary patent, our ability to manufacture and sell OraQuick ^® devices and develop and commercialize new applications using the same technology could be limited and we may incur increased costs or damages. In such case, we may be able to modify the OraQuick ^® test to avoid the claim of infringement or the need for a license. However, this alternative could delay or limit our ability to sell the OraQuick ^® test in the United States and other markets, which would adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow and business.

Risks Relating to Products, Marketing and Sales

A Market for Our Products May Not Develop.

Our future success will depend, in part, on the market acceptance, and the timing of such acceptance, of new products such as our OraQuick ^® HCV test, our OraSure QuickFlu™ test, an OraQuick ^® HIV OTC test, and other new products or technologies that may be developed or acquired. To achieve market acceptance, we and/or our distributors will likely be required to undertake substantial marketing efforts and spend significant funds to inform potential customers and the public of the perceived benefits of these products. In addition, governmental funding for the purchase of our products may be needed to help create market acceptance and expand the use of our products.

There may be limited evidence on which to evaluate the market reaction to products that may be developed and our marketing efforts for new products may not be successful. It is also possible that governmental funding may not be available for new products, such as an OraQuick ^® HCV test. As such, there can be no assurance that any products will obtain market acceptance and fill the market need that is perceived to exist.

If Acceptance and Adoption of Our Oral Fluid Testing Does Not Continue, Our Future Results May Suffer.

We have made significant progress in gaining acceptance of oral fluid testing for HIV in the public health, hospital, insurance and other markets. We have also made significant progress in gaining acceptance of oral fluid testing for drugs of abuse in the workplace and criminal justice testing markets. However, the ultimate degree of acceptance in these markets is uncertain, and other markets may resist the adoption of oral fluid testing as a replacement for other testing methods in use today. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to expand the use of our oral fluid testing products in these or other markets.

Our Customers May Resist Adoption of Rapid Point-of-Care Diagnostic Testing.

We expect sales of our rapid point-of-care diagnostic products, such as our OraQuick ADVANCE ^® HIV-1/2 and OraQuick ^® HCV tests, to become an increasingly important part of our business. Rapid point-of-care tests are beneficial to healthcare providers because, among other things, they can be administered by providers in their own facilities without sending samples to central laboratories. However, clinical reference laboratories and

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hospital-based laboratories currently provide the majority of diagnostic tests used by physicians and other healthcare providers in the U.S. Our future sales will depend, in part, on our ability to expand market acceptance of rapid point-of-care testing by physicians and other healthcare providers. We expect that clinical reference and other hospital-based laboratories will continue to compete vigorously against our rapid point-of-care products. Even if we can demonstrate that our products are more cost effective, save time, or have better performance, physicians and other healthcare providers may resist changing to rapid point-of-care tests and instead may choose to use competing laboratory tests. Our failure to achieve initial or additional market acceptance of our rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests with customers would have a negative effect on our future sales growth.

We Expect to Face Intense Competition From Other Providers of Rapid Point-of- Care Diagnostic Tests.

Our rapid point-of-care tests compete with similar point-of-care products made by our competitors. This competition is particularly evident with respect to our OraQuick ADVANCE ^® HIV-1/2 test. There are a number of competitors making investments in competing technologies and products, and a number of our competitors may have a competitive advantage because of their greater financial, technical, research and other resources. Moreover, some competitors offer broader product lines, aggressively discount prices for their products and may have greater name recognition than we have. If our competitors’ products are more effective than ours or take market share from our products through more effective marketing or competitive pricing, our revenues, margins and operating results could be adversely affected.

Sales of our OraSure QuickFlu™ Test May be Affected by Factors Beyond our Control.

In 2011, we expect to begin selling a new rapid flu test under the tradename OraSure QuickFlu™, primarily in the U.S. hospital and public health markets. A number of factors that are beyond our control could affect sales of this product, including:

Our Inability to Carry Out Certain of Our Marketing and Sales Plans May Make it Difficult for Us to Grow or Maintain Our Business.

We have implemented in the past, and we intend to implement in the future, an aggressive sales and marketing plan to expand sales of our products. Specifically, we will continue to expand the impact of our direct field sales force, use third party distributors and manufacturers’ sales representatives, and implement other sales and marketing programs. If we are unable to successfully implement these programs, we may be unable to grow and our business could suffer.

Our Sales Cycles Can be Lengthy and May Depend on Public Funding, Which Can Cause Variability and Unpredictability in Our Operating Results.

The sales cycles for certain of our products can be lengthy and unpredictable, which makes it more difficult to accurately forecast revenues in a given period and may cause revenues and operating results to vary from

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period to period. Sales of our products often involve purchasing decisions by large public and private institutions, may require many levels of approval and may be dependent on economic or political conditions and the availability of grants or funding from governmental or public health agencies which can vary from period to period in both amount and timing. For example, in past years our OraQuick ADVANCE ^® HIV-1/2 test has been purchased through bulk procurement or other funding provided by governmental agencies. There can be no assurance that purchases or funding from these agencies will continue at the same or higher levels or at all, especially if current negative economic conditions continue or intensify. As a result, we may expend considerable resources on unsuccessful sales efforts or we may not be able to complete transactions at all or on a schedule and in an amount consistent with our objectives.

We May be Sued for Product Liabilities for Injuries Resulting From the Use of Our Products.

We may be held liable if any of our products, or any product which is made with the use or incorporation of any of our technologies, causes injury of any type or is found otherwise unsuitable during product testing, manufacturing, marketing, sale or usage. There is no assurance that we would be successful in defending any product liability lawsuits brought against us. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims could result in:

We are selling cryosurgical products in the consumer or OTC market in certain countries. We may expand the OTC sales of these products to other countries and eventually distribute other types of products in the domestic and international OTC markets, such as our OraQuick ^® HIV-1/2 test. We believe the sale of products in the OTC market increases the risk of potential product liability exposure.

The Insurance We Purchase to Cover Our Potential Business Risks May be Inadequate.

Although we believe that our present product liability and other insurance coverage is sufficient to cover our current estimated exposures, we cannot be sure that we will not incur liabilities in excess of our policy limits. In addition, although we believe that we will be able to continue to obtain adequate coverage in the future, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so at acceptable costs.

We Could Suffer Monetary Damages, Incur Substantial Costs or be Prevented From Using Technologies Important to Our Products as a Result of Legal Proceedings.

We have been and in the future may become involved in various legal proceedings arising out of our businesses. These may include commercial disputes, negligence claims or various other lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of our business, including employment matters. Such lawsuits can seek damages, sometimes in substantial amounts, for commercial or personal injuries allegedly suffered and can include claims for punitive or other special damages. An adverse ruling or rulings in one or more such lawsuits could, individually or in the aggregate, result in the termination or modification of a material contract or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our sales, operations or financial performance.

Performance of Our Products May Affect Our Revenues, Stock Price and Reputation.

Our products are generally sold with labeling that contains performance claims approved or cleared by the FDA or other regulators. However, our products may not perform as expected. For example, a defect in one of

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our diagnostic products or a failure by a customer to follow proper testing procedures, may cause the product to report inaccurate information such as a false positive result or a false negative result. If our products fail to perform in accordance with the applicable label claims or otherwise in accordance with the expectations or needs of our customers, customers may switch to a competing product or otherwise stop using our products, and our revenues could be adversely affected. In addition, poor performance by one or more of our products and publicity surrounding such performance could have an adverse effect on our reputation, our continuing ability to sell products and the prevailing market price of our Common Stock.

Our International Presence May Increase Our Risks and Expose Our Business to Regulatory, Cultural or Other Restraints.

We intend to increase revenue derived from international sales of our products. Our international sales accounted for $11.5 million or 15% of total revenues in 2010, $14.8 million or 19% of total revenues in 2009 and $13.7 million or 19% of total revenues in 2008.

A number of factors can slow or prevent international sales, or substantially increase the cost of sales in Europe or other countries, including those set forth below:

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In addition, we have entered into a contract for the manufacture and supply of our OraQuick ^® HIV-1/2 test in Thailand, and the Histofreezer ^® cryosurgical product sold in international markets is currently manufactured by a third party in The Netherlands. We may enter into agreements to manufacture these or other products in additional foreign countries as well. However, economic, cultural and political conditions and foreign regulatory requirements may slow or prevent the manufacture of our products in countries other than the United States. Interruption of the supply of our products could reduce revenues or cause us to incur significant additional expenses in finding an alternative source of supply. Foreign currency fluctuations and economic conditions in foreign countries could also increase the costs of manufacturing our products in foreign countries.

Risks Relating to the Economy, Our Financial Results, Investments, Credit Facilities and Need for Financing

Continued Economic Volatility and Disruption Could Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations, Cash Flow and Financial Condition or Those of Our Customers and Suppliers.

Capital and credit markets have recently experienced a period of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval, characterized by the bankruptcy, failure, collapse or sale of various financial institutions and substantial intervention by the U.S. government. These conditions could adversely affect the demand for our products and services and, therefore, reduce purchases by our customers, which would negatively affect our revenues and profitability. In addition, interest rate fluctuations, financial market volatility or credit market disruptions may limit our access to capital, and may also negatively affect our customers’ and our suppliers’ ability to obtain credit to finance their businesses on acceptable terms. Some of our customers rely on public funding provided by state and local governments, and this funding has been and may continue to be reduced or deferred as a result of current economic conditions. As a result, our customers’ needs and ability to purchase our products or services may decrease, and our suppliers may increase their prices, reduce their output or change their terms of sale. If our customers’ or suppliers’ operating and financial performance deteriorates, or if they are unable to make scheduled payments or obtain credit, our customers may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable owed to us, and our suppliers may restrict credit or impose different payment terms. Any inability of customers to pay us for our products and services, or any demands by suppliers for different payment terms, may adversely affect our earnings and cash flow.

Additionally, both state and federal governments, as a result of budget deficits or reductions, have reduced and may seek to continue to reduce their expenditures by reducing their purchases of our products or renegotiating their contracts with us. Any reduction in payments by such governments may adversely affect our earnings and cash flow.

The current economic circumstances could adversely affect our access to liquidity needed to conduct or expand our business or conduct acquisitions and make other discretionary investments. Declining economic conditions may also increase our costs. If the economic conditions do not improve or continue to deteriorate, our results of operations or financial condition could be adversely affected.

We Have a History of Losses and May Not Be Able to Achieve Sustained Profitability.

We have experienced net losses in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $138.6 million. Even though we have achieved profitability in the past, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve or sustain profitability in the future.

Our ability to achieve and sustain profitability in the future will be dependent upon a number of factors including, without limitation, the following:

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We May Experience Fluctuations in Our Financial Results or Fail to Meet Our Financial Projections.

Our operating results can fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year, which could cause our growth or financial performance to fall below the expectations of investors and securities analysts. Our financial projections for future periods are based on a number of assumptions, including estimated demand for our products. However, sales to our distributors and other customers may fall short of expectations because of less than estimated customer demand or other factors, including continued volatility and disruption in economic conditions, reduced governmental funding and other circumstances described elsewhere in this Annual Report. Infrequent, unusual or unexpected changes in revenues or costs could also contribute to the variability of our financial results. In addition, our products provide different contributions to our gross margin and our operating results could also fluctuate and be affected by the mix of products sold and the relative prices and gross margin contribution of those products. Failure to achieve operating results consistent with the expectations of investors and securities analysts could adversely affect our reputation and the price of our Common Stock.

Our Estimates or Judgments Relating to Critical Accounting Policies Are Based on Assumptions That Can Change or Prove to be Incorrect.

Our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate significant estimates used in preparing our financial statements, including those related to:

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We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these and other estimates if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our operating results to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

Our Credit Facilities Contain Certain Financial Covenants Which, if Not Satisfied, Could Result in the Acceleration of the Amounts Due Under These Facilities and Limit Our Ability to Borrow in the Future.

Our credit facility with Comerica Bank contains various financial and other covenants with which we must comply on an ongoing or periodic basis. If we enter into new or additional credit facilities or loan agreements, we would expect those arrangements would contain similar types of covenants. Although we do not expect to violate these covenants and obligations, if such a violation were to occur, the outstanding debt under our credit facility or other arrangement could become immediately due and payable, our lender could proceed against any collateral securing such indebtedness and our ability to borrow additional funds in the future may be adversely affected.

We May Require Future Additional Capital.

Our future liquidity and ability to meet our future capital requirements will depend on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

If additional financing is needed, we may seek to raise funds through the sale of equity or other securities or through bank borrowings. There can be no assurance that financing through the sale of securities, bank borrowings or otherwise, will be available to us on satisfactory terms, or at all.

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Terrorist Attacks or National Disasters May Adversely Affect Our Business.

Terrorist attacks or natural disasters, and subsequent governmental responses to these events, could cause economic instability. These actions could adversely affect economic conditions both within and outside the United States and reduce demand for our products. These events could disrupt the operations of our customers and suppliers and eliminate, reduce or delay our customers’ ability to purchase and use our products and our suppliers’ ability to provide raw materials and finished products.

Our manufacturing facilities are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Although we have business interruption insurance, our facilities, including some pieces of manufacturing equipment and our computer systems, may be difficult to replace and could require substantial replacement lead-time. Various types of disasters, including earthquakes, fires, floods and acts of terrorism, may affect our manufacturing facilities and computer systems. In the event our existing manufacturing facilities or computer systems are affected by man-made or natural disasters, we may have difficulty operating our business and may be unable to manufacture products for sale or meet customer demands or sales projections. If our manufacturing operations were curtailed or ceased, it would seriously harm our business.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

Our Stock Price Could Continue to be Volatile.

Our stock price has been volatile, has fluctuated substantially in the past, may be volatile in the future and could experience substantial declines. The following factors, among others, could have a significant impact on the market for our Common Stock:

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In addition, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market price of our Common Stock, as well as the stock of many companies in the diagnostics and life sciences industries. Often, price fluctuations are unrelated to operating performance of the specific companies whose stock is affected.

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s stock, securities class action litigation has occurred against the issuing company. If we were subject to this type of litigation in the future, we could incur substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and earnings. Any adverse determination in this type of litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

Future Sales of Our Common Stock by Existing Stockholders, Executive Officers or Directors Could Depress the Market Price of Our Common Stock and Make It More Difficult For Us to Sell Stock in the Future.

Sales of our Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could negatively impact the market price of our Common Stock. We are unable to estimate the number of shares of our Common Stock that may actually be resold in the public market since this will depend on the market price for our Common Stock, the individual circumstances of the sellers and other factors.

We have a number of institutional stockholders that own significant blocks of our Common Stock. If one or more of these stockholders sell large portions of their holdings in a relatively short time, for liquidity or other reasons, the prevailing market price of our Common Stock could be negatively affected. In addition, it is possible that one or more of our executive officers or non-employee members of our Board of Directors could sell shares of our Common Stock during an open trading window under our Insider Trading Policy. These transactions and the perceived reasons for these transactions could have a negative effect on the prevailing market price of our Common Stock.

Investor Confidence and Share Value May be Adversely Impacted if We and/or Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Conclude That Our Internal Control Over Financial Reporting is Not Effective.

As directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC adopted rules requiring us, as a public company, to include a report in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm must report on the effectiveness of these internal controls.

We expect that our internal controls will continue to evolve as our business activities change. Although we seek to diligently and vigorously review our internal control over financial reporting in an effort to ensure compliance with the Section 404 requirements, any control system, regardless of how well designed, operated and evaluated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. If, during any year, our independent registered public accounting firm is not satisfied with our internal control over financial reporting or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated, tested or assessed, or if the independent registered public accounting firm interprets the requirements, rules or regulations differently than we do, then it may issue a report that is qualified. We also could conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. These events could result in an adverse reaction in the financial marketplace due to a loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and effectiveness of our internal controls, which ultimately could negatively impact the market price of our Common Stock.

Because We Do Not Intend to Pay Cash Dividends on Our Common Stock, an Investor in Our Common Stock Will Benefit Only if it Appreciates in Value.

We currently intend to retain our current earnings and future earnings, if any, to finance the expansion of our business and do not expect to pay any cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. As a

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result, the success of an investment in our Common Stock will depend entirely upon any future appreciation. There is no guarantee that our Common Stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which investors purchased their shares.

Certain Provisions in Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Under Delaware Law Could Make a Third Party Acquisition of Us Difficult.

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders. We are also subject to certain provisions of Delaware law that could delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us. These provisions could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Common Stock.

Future Sales of Shares of Our Common Stock or the Issuance of Securities Senior to Our Common Stock Could Adversely Affect the Trading Price of Our Common Stock and Our Ability to Raise Funds in New Equity Offerings.

Future sales of a substantial number of our shares of Common Stock or equity-related securities in the public market or privately, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect prevailing trading prices of our Common Stock, and could impair our ability to raise capital through future offerings of equity or equity-related securities. No prediction can be made as to the effect, if any, that future sales of shares of Common Stock or the availability of shares of Common Stock for future sale will have on the trading price of our Common Stock.