Cholestech is Ready to Respond to New NIH Guidelines for Cholesterol Management With Its CLIA Waived, Easy-to-Use Testing System and Service.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--May 17, 2001

The Cholestech L-D-X(R) System Identifies At-Risk Individuals and

Provides Therapeutic Monitoring

Cholestech Corporation (Nasdaq:CTEC), which has shipped more than 13 million tests over the past 4 fiscal years, is ready to respond to Tuesday's announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of aggressive new guidelines to address the national effort to reduce heart disease among Americans. The new guidelines are expected to substantially expand the number of Americans being treated for high cholesterol, including raising the number on dietary treatment from about 52 million to about 65 million and increasing the number prescribed a cholesterol-lowering drug from about 13 million to about 36 million, according to the NIH.

"The Cholestech L-D-X System is the only cholesterol testing device that is waived by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and that can provide a complete Lipid Profile. We believe the L-D-X system is the most practical, economic and efficient means to address this widespread need for convenient, accurate cholesterol testing on the market today," said Warren E. Pinckert, president and chief executive officer of Cholestech Corporation. "The combination of our proprietary technology with the growing health testing service capability of our WellCheck(TM) business unit, positions us to be ready to provide health care providers with the tools and information that they need to meet these new guidelines issued by the NIH."

"For example, the new guidelines include a recommendation for a complete lipoprotein profile as the preferred initial test. This profile includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. The Cholestech L-D-X Lipid Profile test cassette is the only CLIA waived multi-test device able to provide test results for these four lipoproteins recommended in the new guidelines from a single device using a single drop of blood, in less than 5 minutes," said Pinckert. "The L-D-X system can then provide the Framingham Risk Assessment from the patient's results as measured on the Lipid Profile cassette."

"Americans at high risk for a heart attack are too often not identified and, so, don't receive sufficiently aggressive treatment," said NHLBI director Dr. Claude Lenfant. "Yet, studies show conclusively that lowering the level of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the 'bad cholesterol,' can reduce the short-term risk for heart disease as much as 40 percent." Dr. Scott Grundy, ATP III chairperson and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas said, "The new guidelines will help doctors determine heart attack risk more precisely than was possible before. That allows treatment to be more individualized. We now know that cholesterol-lowering treatment is more effective when its intensity closely matches the level of risk."

"We believe our L-D-X system is not only ideal as a heart risk assessment tool, with our ALT (liver enzyme) test, it's equally effective for monitoring patients' therapeutic options. We are pleased that the NIH is taking aggressive measures to reduce the risk of heart disease among Americans and that Cholestech is able to participate in the effort to save more lives," said Pinckert.

About Cholestech

Cholestech is committed to helping people successfully improve their health. The Cholestech business units of Diagnostic Products and WellCheck(TM) can provide simple, accessible and reliable personal health information to health care practitioners and consumers in over 35 countries around the world. Cholestech offers efficient and economic diagnostic screening for cholesterol, blood sugar and liver function. Health care providers can use the Cholestech L-D-X System to monitor the progress of patient therapy. By providing effective

disease management solutions, Cholestech's goal is to ultimately enable people to lead longer, healthier and more active lives.

Safe Harbor Statement of Cholestech Corporation Under the Private

Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding: the expected expansion of the number of Americans being treated for high cholesterol and the Company being ready to provide health care providers with tools and information to meet new NIH guidelines. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties including: regulatory changes affecting the health care system in the United States, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners and the loss of a significant customer, and other factors.