Invatec Officially Launches Coronary Drug-Eluting Balloon PlatformIN.PACT Falcon at EuroPCR

Short-Term Drug Elution Provides a New Concept for the Treatment of
Atherosclerosis in the Coronary Arteries
BARCELONA, Spain--(Business Wire)--
Invatec, a comprehensive innovator of interventional products, today announced
the availability of its newly CE marked coronary balloon, the IN.PACT Falcon
paclitaxel-eluting PTCA balloon catheter at the EuroPCR Congress 2009 in
Barcelona, Spain. This is one of the first drug-eluting balloons designed
specifically to treat atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries and underscores
Invatec`s commitment to robust scientific research into the reduction of
re-intervention rates in the treatment of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

Prof. Eberhard Grube, Chief, Department of Cardiology/Angiology at the Heart
Center, Siegburg, Germany, commented, "Combining world-class PTCA balloon
catheter technology with local drug administration is a fascinating new concept
for the treatment of certain coronary lesions such as In-Stent Restenosis (ISR),
Small Vessel Disease (SVD), Bifurcations and potentially other lesions where
conventional balloons, stents and even drug eluting stents may not be ideal. A
drug eluting balloon such as the IN.PACT Falcon that elutes a known and
effective drug such as Paclitaxel holds much promise as an effective treatment
option for patients."

IN.PACT Falcon combines the currently marketed, performance leading Falcon line
of PTCA balloon catheters with Invatec`s proprietary IN.PACT technology platform
and FreePac coating. FreePac is a proprietary, natural coating that frees and
separates paclitaxel molecules and facilitates their absorption into the wall of
the artery. The FreePac coating was developed in close collaboration with the
researchers who pioneered drug-eluting balloon therapy, Ulrich Speck, Ph.D.,
Department of Radiology at Charite Mitte, Berlin and Bruno Scheller, M.D.,
University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Homburg/Saar.

"We are extremely excited to commercialize a much-needed product that combines
our FreePac coating technology with the performance-leading characteristics of
our Falcon PTCA balloon platform, thereby creating a world class drug eluting
balloon," commented Andrea Venturelli and Stefan Widensohler, co-founders of
Invatec. "The European availability of IN.PACT Falcon underscores our mission to
provide physicians with the option of using drug eluting balloons for specific
clinical indications throughout the coronary and peripheral anatomy. The launch
of IN.PACT Falcon also aligns with our strategy to leverage FreePac on all of
our major balloon platforms. We see an immediate opportunity for the IN.PACT
Falcon to treat patients with In Stent Restenosis (ISR) and plan to proceed with
an ambitious clinical research program to further study the use of IN.PACT
Falcon to treat Small Vessel Disease and de novo lesions. "

About Invatec

Headquartered in Italy and with manufacturing in Italy and Switzerland, Invatec
is one of the world`s fastest growing companies in the design, development and
production of interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular products for the
treatment of coronary and peripheral arterial disease. Driven by research and
technology, Invatec actively collaborates with physicians and centres of
excellence to develop products that will improve life expectancy and quality of
life for patients. Vertically integrated, Invatec also has the in-house ability
to design, develop, manufacture and assemble its entire product offering from
raw materials. As a result, the company has one of the largest therapeutic
catheter product lines in the world, including 9 stent platforms, 6 angioplasty
balloon platforms, 3 drug-eluting balloon platforms and accessory devices, now
sold in over 70 countries.

Dedicated to "making ideas come alive," the company was founded in 1996 by
Andrea Venturelli and Stefan Widensohler, and has grown to almost 1,000
employees. For more information, visit www.invatec.com.

Schwartz Communications
Victoria Harvey
T: + 44 (0) 7534 906616
E: invateceu@schwartz-pr.com
or
Invatec
Rick Geoffrion
T: + 41 (0) 7 96 79 88 99
E: rick.geoffrion@invatec.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009