Atherotech's VAP Cholesterol Test Available Through Duke University Health System.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2003

Atherotech Inc., a leading cardiodiagnostic company and specialty reference laboratory, today announced that it has been added to Duke University Health System's list of approved reference laboratories for the purpose of making the VAP(TM) (Vertical Auto Profile) Cholesterol Test available to its medical staff.

The agreement allows physicians from Duke's affiliated hospitals and clinics throughout North Carolina and southern Virginia to administer the VAP Test, an expanded cholesterol test designed to improve the identification of people at risk for heart disease.

Richard B. Lanman, M.D., Atherotech's chief medical officer, said, "We are honored that the VAP Test now is available through one of the leading medical institutions in North Carolina and the country. Physicians and patients at these centers now have access to important diagnostic information for the detection of risk for cardiovascular disease at an affordable price."

John R. Guyton, M.D., director of the Lipid Clinic at Duke University Hospital, said, "There are two primary challenges in connection with coronary heart disease. The first is the early detection of people at risk for disease. The second is the identification of the most effective therapy to treat the disease process. The VAP Test is an important technology that addresses both of these key goals, and I am pleased that it will be available to Duke physicians and patients."

According to Dr. Lanman, the VAP Test provides direct, detailed measurements of cholesterol subclasses that play important roles in the development of heart disease. The test measures primary and secondary targets of therapy and emerging risk factors for heart disease as contained in updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines.

It requires a small blood sample, which is sent to Atherotech's CDC-NHLBI certified laboratory in Birmingham for processing. Results are returned to physicians within 72 hours and can be accessed online via the company's Web site.

Duke University Health System is a nonprofit, fully integrated academic healthcare system dedicated to providing patient care, professional education and biomedical research. DUHS includes: Duke University Hospital; Durham Regional Hospital; Raleigh Community Hospital; ambulatory surgery centers; primary and specialty care clinics; home care, hospice, and skilled nursing care; wellness centers; and community-based clinical partnerships and is integrated with the Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke University School of Nursing.

Atherotech, a leading cardiodiagnostic company and specialty reference laboratory, is dedicated to improving the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases that kill nearly 1 million people each year. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.thevaptest.com.