January 29, 2009 AorTech Expands Licensing Agreement with St. Jude Medical

January 29, 2009

AorTech International plc (AIM: AOR), the biomaterials and medical device development company, today announced the expansion of its license agreement with St. Jude Medical, Inc. for the use of its biostable polymer, Elast-Eon™, in cardiac pacing and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) leads. This revised agreement extends St. Jude Medical’s exclusive rights into perpetuity and makes provisions for option payments on new polymer technology through 2012.

This agreement calls for a one-time undisclosed payment to be made to AorTech by St. Jude Medical.

St. Jude Medical markets Elast-Eon under the Optim™ brand.  Optim insulation is used in St. Jude Medical cardiac rhythm management leads, which have been implanted in patients since July  2006.  Optim insulation blends the biostability and flexibility of high-performance silicone rubber with the strength, tear resistance and abrasion resistance of polyurethane. (Silicone rubber and polyurethane are the standard lead insulation materials.) This combination is designed to provide increased durability as well as improved flexibility and handling characteristics for long-term lead reliability and better control during implantation.

“We value the durability and flexibility that the Optim insulation provides for our physician customers and patients, and have implemented the material into all of our cardiac lead families,” said Eric S. Fain, M.D., president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. “AorTech has been a responsive, reliable supplier demonstrating a consistently high standard for the quality of its product.”

Frank Maguire, AorTech Chief Executive Officer said, “Elast-Eon’s continued success in this very demanding application, and AorTech’s partnership with St. Jude Medical, have been extraordinarily important over the past three years. This new structure will provide a framework for that partnership to move ahead into the future.”

A lead is a thin insulated wire that is placed through the vein as part of a pacemaker or ICD implantation procedure. Its tip is attached to the heart tissue, and its other end connects to the pacemaker or ICD. A lead carries electrical impulses from the pacemaker or ICD to the heart and transmits information from the heart back to the implanted device.