ACIST Medical Systems Announces Exclusive Distribution Agreement With Bracco Diagnostics.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 15, 1997--ACIST Medical Systems, an Eden Prairie-based medical device company, announced today it has signed a distribution agreement with Bracco Diagnostics Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey, for the sales and marketing of the ACIST(TM) contrast media injection system.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bracco will receive the exclusive distribution rights for the ACIST(TM) Injection System and the line of proprietary disposable angiographic kits for North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ACIST(TM) Injection System is an innovative contrast delivery system designed to provide a new, highly automated method for injecting contrast media giving the physician constant interactive control through the use of a remote handpiece and a user friendly touch screen monitor. This represents a major advance in angiographic injector technology as current injector devices can only be used at predetermined injection rates. The ACIST(TM) injector has recently received final marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"Bracco Diagnostics is a leading supplier of contrast imaging agents in the U.S. market and has a strong marketing, sales and distribution network," said ACIST Medical Systems President and CEO Dan Gladney. "The size of the Bracco sales organization and their ability to provide service and support of the more than 5,000 cardiac catheterization laboratories and radiology interventional suites will provide the extensive market coverage we need to launch what is the first of many innovative contrast delivery devices from ACIST."

According to Bracco President and CEO John Cornille, the "promotion of the ACIST Injection System is a natural extension of our core business, which is providing the finest diagnostic imaging contrast agents for x-ray, MRI applications, nuclear medicine and ultrasound. As the experts in diagnostic imaging, our customers will now be able to benefit from not only Bracco's high quality contrast imaging agents, but also from the latest advancement in contrast delivery."

ACIST(TM) Medical Systems is a privately held corporation founded in 1991 that has developed a new system to improve the delivery of contrast agents during angiographic procedures.

Bracco Diagnostics is the U.S. affiliate of the Bracco Group based in Milan, Italy. The Bracco Group is one of the world's leading privately owned pharmaceutical companies and has specialized for the past 40 years in the development of contrast media. Bracco's leading products, Isovue(R) (iopamidol injection) and ProHance(R) (gadoteridol injection), represent a significant share of the U.S. diagnostic pharmaceutical market.

For additional information concerning the ACIST(TM) Injection System or ACIST Medical Systems, contact Dan Gladney, president and CEO, ACIST Medical Systems at 612-941-3507, extension 111.

CONTACT: Kepler Communications

Jan Kepler, 303/674-7879