Major Calgary Hospital Selects the NovaSure System for Patients Suffering From Excessive...

Business/Technology Editors & Health/Medical Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 17, 2001

After Thorough Evaluation of Several Technologies,

Rockyview General Hospital Selects The NovaSure System

Novacept, Inc., today announced that Rockyview

General Hospital in Calgary, a premiere North American treatment center for women's health disorders, recently selected the NovaSure(TM) System as its endometrial ablation technology of choice for treating women suffering from excessive menstrual bleeding. The NovaSure(TM) Impedance Controlled Endometrial Ablation System has been available in Canada and Europe since December of 2000. Last week Novacept received FDA approval to market the system in the United States.

Excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) is a debilitating condition that affects the lives of one in five women. Symptoms include fatigue, anemia, embarrassing accidents and restricted activity. Many women resort to hysterectomy to eliminate this condition.

The gynecology staff from Rockyview General Hospital analyzed endometrial ablation products from four companies. Evaluation parameters included: the need for pretreatment drugs, anesthesia requirements, length of procedure, need for additional visualization products, ease of set-up, recovery time, safety features and overall treatment cost.

According to Albert Rosengarten, M.D., Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rockyview General and Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Calgary, "The NovaSure treatment is proving to be a very effective and a safe alternative to hysterectomy for women with excessive menstrual bleeding. We have seen very positive results from the many cases we have now performed and find that the NovaSure procedure can be completed very quickly in an outpatient setting. Just recently, one of our physicians successfully treated 8 women in one morning. All patients comfortably returned home that afternoon. These findings underscore our belief that the NovaSure system will provide a satisfactory treatment for the many women with excessive menstrual bleeding."

The NovaSure System eliminates the uterine lining using impedance controlled radio frequency energy. The average procedure takes only 4 1/2 minutes, during which most women are awake with only light sedation anesthesia. The NovaSure System was compared with other technologies that apply either microwave energy or hot saline, with and without a balloon, directly to the uterine cavity. The NovaSure System was chosen over the other options because it is easy to use, does not require expensive endometrial pretreatment drugs, and for its speed of treatment and high overall success rates.

"We are enormously gratified that a premiere institution such as Rockyview General Hospital, after a thorough and rigorous review of treatment alternatives, has chosen the NovaSure System," said David Clapper, President of Novacept. "This further validates our company's mission to develop innovative products to advance women's healthcare."

About Rockyview General Hospital

Rockyview General Hospital is a 500 bed hospital offering specialized medical and surgical services to the Calgary Region. The hospital employs 2,000 people and is part of the Calgary Regional Health Authority.

About Novacept, Inc.

The Novasure System is approved for use in Canada, Europe and the United States. Novacept was founded in 1995 to design, develop, manufacture and market innovative therapeutic devices to improve the quality of women's healthcare in a cost-effective manner. The company's flagship product, the NovaSure(TM) Impedance Controlled Endometrial Ablation System is designed to perform a minimally invasive procedure to treat menorrhagia (excessive bleeding) in pre-menopausal women who have completed childbearing by destroying the endometrium (uterine lining) and superficial myometrium (uterine muscle).