AtCor Medical Holdings Limited: New Pharmaceutical Study Demonstrates Importance of Noninvasive Central Blood Pressure Measurement

ITASCA IL--(Marketwire - March 23, 2010) - AtCor Medical Limited (ASX: ACG) today announced that its SphygmoCor ® system, which measures central blood pressure noninvasively, has played a key role in a new study (1) that points to new and potentially better treatment options for hypertension. The Novartis sub-study, conducted by researchers from Emory University, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis Corporation, was presented on March 16, at the 2010 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

The study compared a combination of the Novartis renin inhibitor aliskiren and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) with the calcium channel blocker amlodipine in the treatment of 332 African Americans with Stage 2 hypertension. Although the two drug regimens produced similar reductions in cuff blood pressure measurements at the arm, the aliskiren/HCTZ combination resulted in a significantly greater reduction in central blood pressure, the pressure the heart, brain and kidneys actually experience. The study measured central blood pressure noninvasively, using AtCor's SphygmoCor system, and further highlights the import role of the technology in managing hypertension.

Points to new treatment options -- and an unmet clinical need

"Research such as the Strong Heart Study has shown elevated central pressure is more strongly related to cardiovascular events than other risk factors, including brachial pressure," said Keith Ferdinand MD, the lead author of the study. "Our findings suggest an important new option for assessing the benefits of blood pressure medications in African American patients."

"This study adds to the accumulating evidence, that you must measure central pressure to assure a complete understanding of drug response," said Duncan Ross, AtCor Medical President and CEO. "It also points to an unmet need in the care of African American patients. Earlier studies from Emory University and University of Illinois using SphymoCor have shown that African Americans may have normal brachial blood pressure, but significantly elevated central blood pressure. Noninvasive central blood pressure assessment is vitally important in diagnosis and managing drug therapy," Ross concluded.

SphygmoCor systems: The global gold standard in noninvasive central blood pressure and arterial stiffness assessment

AtCor Medical develops and markets products for the early detection of cardiovascular risk and management of cardiovascular disease. Its technology allows researchers and clinical to measure central blood pressure noninvasively. The company's SphygmoCor system visibly identifies the effects of reflected blood pressure in the central aortic pressure wave, effects which cannot be detected with standard blood pressure monitoring. More than 2,100 SphygmoCor systems are currently in use worldwide at major medical institutions, research centers, in clinical trials with leading pharmaceutical companies and in physicians' offices. The company's technology has been featured in hundreds of peer-reviewed studies published in leading medical journals. AtCor has operations in Australia, the United States and Europe. For further information, please visit our web site at www.atcormedical.com.

1. Responses to Aliskiren/HCTA versus Amlodipine on Peripheral and Central Blood Pressure in African Americans with Stage 2 Hypertension
K. Ferdinand, J, Pool, R. Weitzman, D. Purkayastha, R. Townsend
Presented at ACC.10 March 14-16, 2010, Atlanta GA