Life Medical Sciences Launches Drug Delivery Development Program Update on REPEL-CV(TM) Pivotal Clinical Trial OCEANPORT, N.J., May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- During a presentation today at the Rodman & Renshaw TechVest Global Healthcare Conference in London, Robert P. Hickey, President & CEO of Life Medical Sciences, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: CHAI) , will announce that the Company has undertaken a development program intended to provide cardiac surgeons with the first ever localized drug delivery product intended to prevent the onset of surgically-induced atrial fibrillation. Approximately one third of patients undergoing open heart surgery develop atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart beat, resulting from the trauma of the surgical procedure. This complication is currently treated with systemic drug delivery and requires increased patient monitoring and results in delayed discharge from the hospital. Similar to drug eluding stents, the drug would be impregnated into the Company's REPEL-CV bioresorbable film which is designed to be placed on the surface of the heart during the surgical procedure. The objective is to deliver the drug to the heart tissue as the film resorbs, thus eliminating the need for expensive systemic drug delivery. Mr. Hickey will also state that patient enrollment in the multi-center, pivotal clinical trial for REPEL-CV bioresorbable adhesion barrier in cardiac surgery is proceeding on schedule with a targeted completion date for the trial still anticipated in mid-2005. Life Medical Sciences, Inc. is a biomaterials company engaged in the development and commercialization of innovative and cost-effective medical devices. The Company is developing a broad range of bioresorbable polymer products to prevent/reduce post-operative adhesion formation. Certain statements in this Press Release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Reference is made to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2003 for a description of some of these risks and uncertainties. DATASOURCE: Life Medical Sciences, Inc. CONTACT: Robert P. Hickey of Life Medical Sciences, Inc., +1-732-728-1769,

Copyright