Jul 10, 2001
FDA Advisory Committee Elects Not To Recommend Guidant's CONTAK CD for Approval

Indianapolis, Ind. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), today reported that the Circulatory Systems Device Panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) elected not to recommend approval of Guidant's CONTAK CD(tm)/EASYTRAK® system, a combination cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system.

"We are obviously disappointed with the decision of the Circulatory Systems Device Panel," said Ronald W. Dollens, president and CEO of Guidant Corporation. "However, we remain convinced that cardiac resynchronization therapy and ICD therapy combined is a viable treatment option for patients with heart failure, and we will work closely with the FDA to determine next steps for the CONTAK CD/EASYTRAK system."

Guidant will host a conference call and webcast regarding the panel meeting today at approximately 1:15 p.m. (EST). The live webcast will be accessible from the Guidant website or at StreetFusion.com. The webcast will be archived on both websites for future on-demand replay.

System requirements for the webcast include Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 4.0 (or higher). Users also should have the most recent version of Windows Media Player, which can be downloaded for free. Users may experience varying levels of performance based on their connection speed, system capabilities and presence of a corporate firewall. To ensure a connection, users should go to the program five to 15 minutes before its start.

Guidant Corporation pioneers lifesaving technology, giving an opportunity for a better life today to 7 million cardiac and vascular patients worldwide. The company, driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture of 10,000 employees, develops, manufactures and markets a broad array of products and services that enable less invasive care for some of life's most threatening medical conditions.