May 22, 2001
Guidant Unveils Latest Coronary Stent Technology in Europe

Company Launches MULTI-LINK PENTA Stent

Indianapolis, Ind. and Santa Clara, Calif. - Physicians in Europe are getting a glimpse at the latest coronary stent technology, following the European launch of Guidant Corporation's (NYSE and PCX: GDT) MULTI-LINK PENTA(tm) Coronary Stent System. The MULTI-LINK PENTA is Guidant's fifth broad-use coronary stent system and the latest addition to Guidant's comprehensive product line to treat coronary artery disease.

"Guidant continually redefines how physicians treat patients suffering from coronary artery disease," said Guido J. Neels, president of Guidant Europe, Middle East, Africa and Canada. "We are looking forward to demonstrating the new MULTI-LINK PENTA at the Paris Course on Revascularization this week." A major annual meeting of international cardiologists, the Paris Course on Revascularization will take place May 22-25.

The MULTI-LINK PENTA contains technological innovations that are designed to help physicians better access and treat blockages in coronary arteries. The stent features ACCESS-LINK(tm) technology developed to allow the stent to be flexible enough to be maneuvered through a patient's vessels while still retaining the strength needed to prop open a previously blocked artery. Also, the MULTI-LINK PENTA is mounted on a delivery system with the new WRAP(tm) balloon that is designed to allow the system to be more easily delivered to the site of the coronary blockage.

"With the MULTI-LINK PENTA, Guidant has entered a new dimension in stenting," said Ray Wainwright, M.D., of Kings College in London, England. "This stent is very flexible and easily travels through vessels to the coronary blockage and performs even better than the MULTI-LINK TETRA."

Guidant's MULTI-LINK TETRA(tm) Coronary Stent System, the MULTI-LINK PENTA's predecessor, was introduced into the European market in May 2000. The MULTI-LINK TETRA Coronary Stent System helped fuel Guidant's continued worldwide leadership position in coronary stents and contributed to a 17 percent increase in sales on a constant currency basis for Guidant Europe in the first quarter of 2001. More than 2 million Guidant stents have been implanted in patients since the company launched its first coronary stent system in 1997.

Guidant received European CE Mark approval for the MULTI-LINK PENTA Coronary Stent System earlier this year and also recently announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the MULTI-LINK PENTA.

A global leader in the medical technology industry, Guidant Corporation provides innovative, minimally invasive and cost-effective products and services for the treatment of cardiovascular and vascular disease.