Merit Medical Systems Introduces First Step Prep Kit

    Business Editors/Healthcare Editors

    SOUTH JORDAN, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2005--Merit Medical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI), a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable products used primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures, announced the release of its First Step(TM) prep kit today.
    The First Step(TM) fills a void in the market by offering prep materials used in various hospital procedures in one convenient package. Instead of searching for and gathering items such as solutions, gloves, razors and sponges, nurses and clinicians will have everything they need to prep a patient in one sterilized container.
    "Merit became aware of this new market niche and brought this product to market in six weeks," said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit's chairman and chief executive officer. "The First Step(TM) is a great example of Merit's ability to see an opportunity, create a solution and get it to the marketplace quickly."

    About Merit

    Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical products used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology and radiology. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 70 individuals. Merit employs approximately 1,300 people worldwide, with manufacturing facilities in Salt Lake City and South Jordan, Utah; Santa Clara, Calif.; Angleton, Texas; and Galway, Ireland. For more information about Merit, visit www.merit.com.

    Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2003. Such risks and uncertainties include introduction of products in a timely fashion, market acceptance of company's products, potential product recalls and quality related issues, delays in obtaining regulatory approvals, cost increases, fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory, price and product competition, availability of labor and materials, development of new third-party products and techniques that render the company's products obsolete, product liability claims, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in health care markets related to health care reform initiatives, litigation and other factors referred to in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to the company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will vary, and may vary materially, from anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.

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CONTACT: Merit Medical Systems Inc., South Jordan Anne-Marie Wright, 801-208-4167 Fax: 801-253-1681 E-mail: awright@merit.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UTAH TEXAS IRELAND INTERNATIONAL EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL DEVICES MEDICAL PRODUCT SOURCE: Merit Medical Systems Inc.

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