Orthovita Issued U.S. Patent for Development and Use of Composite Implants in a Range of Orthopedic Procedures.

MALVERN, Pa. -- U.S. Patent No. 6,863,899 Covers Nine New Claims for Production and Use of Composite Implants, Including Products Developed Using Orthovita's VITOSS(R) Bone Graft Substitute

Orthovita, Inc. (NASDAQ-NM:VITA), a leading developer of synthetic biomaterials for the orthopedic market, announced today that it has been granted a U.S. patent covering the development and use of composite shaped bodies for a range of applications in orthopedic surgery.

The patent covers nine new claims for composite implants, including the use of Orthovita's VITOSS(R) Bone Graft Substitute in combination with a medicament such as a protein or antibiotic. VITOSS is currently marketed in the United States and Europe as a synthetic alternative to the use of autograft or cadaver-derived bone material for a range of orthopedic clinical needs.

The patent also covers the development of composite implants using VITOSS in combination with other synthetic biomaterials such as Orthovita's CORTOSS(R) Synthetic Cortical Bone. CORTOSS is currently being studied for potential use in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

"We believe the development of effective composite implants for use in bone repair represents a major advance in patient care and a broad and untapped market opportunity for Orthovita," said Erik Erbe, Ph.D., chief science officer at Orthovita, Inc. "This new patent adds significant strength to our product portfolio as we believe it positions us to be the clear leader in developing and marketing composite implants for many orthopedic needs."

The patent protection also covers the use of VITOSS in combination with inorganic fillers or with polymers such as polycaprolactone, poly-L-lactic acid or polyglycolic acid.

About the Company

Orthovita is a biomaterials company with proprietary technologies for the development and commercialization of synthetic, biologically active, tissue engineering products for orthopedic and neurosurgical applications. Our products are used in the regeneration of bone and soft tissue. Our near-term commercial business is based on our VITOSS(R) Bone Graft Substitute technology platforms, which are designed to address the non-structural bone graft market by offering synthetic alternatives to the use of autograft or cadaver-derived bone material to meet a broad range of orthopedic clinical needs in the spine, trauma, joint reconstruction, revision surgery and extremities markets, and VITAGEL(TM) Surgical Hemostat, which is a safe adherent matrix and an impermeable barrier to blood flow. Our longer-term U.S. clinical development program is focused on our CORTOSS(R) Synthetic Cortical Bone technology platform, which is designed for injections in osteoporotic spines to treat vertebral compression fractures. Orthovita works jointly with Kensey Nash Corporation and Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to develop and market novel synthetic-based biomaterial products, and continues to pursue similar relationships with other companies in biomaterials.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Orthovita's current expectations of future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitations, our products and other aspects of our business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or timeliness to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, our dependence on the commercial success of our approved products, our history of operating losses and our need for additional funds, our need to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals to sell our products, the rate at which we invest in our field sales network, the ability of our field sales network to generate new sales, our ability to manage commercial scale manufacturing capability and capacity, risks and uncertainties in pre-clinical and clinical trial results, market acceptance of our products, the sales levels of our products, our success in expanding our commercial product portfolio and distribution channel, research and development, competition and other risk factors listed from time to time in reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including but not limited to risks described in our most recently filed Form 10-K under the caption "Certain Risks Related to Our Business". Further information about these and other relevant risks and uncertainties may be found in Orthovita's filings with the SEC, all of which are available from the SEC as well as other sources. Orthovita undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements.