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Next-Generation Catheter Treats Diseased Leg Veins More Than Twice as Fast as Previous RF Devices

VNUS ClosureFAST™ Catheter Treats Underlying Cause of Varicose Veins With Little Pain and Bruising

SAN JOSE, CALIF., May 1, 2007 -- VNUS® Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNUS), a worldwide leader in medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of venous reflux disease, today announced the recent launch of the VNUS ClosureFAST catheter, a major advance in the treatment of the underlying cause of varicose veins.

ClosureFAST is an endovenous radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter that is designed to heat, shrink and close diseased saphenous veins (large leg veins) in three to five minutes of RF treatment – as fast as laser ablation devices – with minimal pain and bruising. The entire ClosureFAST procedure, from insertion of the catheter to removal, can now be completed in approximately 16 minutes – less than half the time required for previous RF-based procedures. Since the ClosureFAST catheter received FDA clearance in August 2006, more than 150 physicians in the US and Europe have used the device, and it is now in general distribution to physicians.

"The new ClosureFAST catheter has cut our vein closure procedure time considerably, and it reduces my actual pullback time through the vein from 20 minutes to three," said Dr. Daniel Monahan, director of the Vein Surgery & Treatment Center of Northern California in Roseville, California. "The increased efficiency makes the procedure less tedious, which is easier on me and delights the patients – their typical reaction is, 'I can't believe you're finished already.'"

"The new ClosureFAST catheter is exactly what we need as physicians performing ablation," said Dr. Alan B. Lumsden of the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston, Texas. "It's a rapid procedure with excellent treatment outcomes, and it maintains the minimal patient discomfort levels we are accustomed to with RF catheters. Now that ClosureFAST is available, there is little rationale for using the laser."

"The ClosureFast catheter offers a significant change in the treatment of patients with venous disease," said Dr. Garth Rosenberg of Maryland Surgical Care in Frederick, Maryland. "In the cases I have performed to date, I have observed very high patient satisfaction, because treatment is completed so quickly and effectively. Venous disease is prevalent and relatively undertreated, and I see the ClosureFast catheter as having the potential to help a large group of patients."

"We're tremendously pleased with the enthusiastic reception for ClosureFAST in the medical community," said Brian E. Farley, president and CEO of VNUS. "The dozens of physicians who have tested the device over the past year have reported very high patient satisfaction with the procedure, and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We consider ClosureFAST a promising new treatment for venous reflux, and we expect it to establish a leading market presence."

Clinical Trial Results of VNUS ClosureFAST^TM Catheter Presented at American Venous Forum Meeting

New Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Catheter Shows 100% Vein Occlusion Rate at 6 Months, Faster Procedure Time, Favorable Patient Comfort

SAN JOSE, Calif., February 23, 2007 -- VNUS® Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNUS), a leading provider of medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of venous reflux disease, announced today that Prof. Dr. Thomas Proebstle of the University of Heidelberg, Germany, presented the first report of six-month follow-up clinical results from a multi-center clinical trial of the new ClosureFAST endovenous radiofrequency (RF) vein ablation catheter at last week's American Venous Forum meeting in San Diego, CA.

The VNUS ClosureFAST catheter is designed to heat, shrink and occlude refluxing saphenous veins with RF ablation times of just three to five minutes while maintaining the fast and mild patient recovery that physicians expect with RF vein ablation.

Dr. Proebstle reported on 252 limbs in 194 patients with saphenous vein reflux who were treated with the VNUS ClosureFAST radiofrequency catheter. The patients were treated at eight centers in Germany and France from April through November 2006. One hundred sixty four limbs had 3 months follow-up data and 62 limbs had 6 months follow-up data. Vein occlusion rate was 100% at 3 and 6 months. The largest veins treated were 18 mm in diameter. No serious complications such as deep venous thrombosis or thermal skin injury were observed in any patients in the study.

"ClosureFAST provides the ability to deliver high-energy dosage to obtain a successful treatment but almost totally without the disturbing side effects of laser. After my first 100 cases I find these initial results very encouraging and look forward to expanding my use of this product," said Prof. Dr. Proebstle.

Living up to its name, treatments with the ClosureFAST catheter resulted in an average energy delivery time of 2.2 minutes and the average procedure time (measured from catheter insertion to catheter removal, including the time for the administration of tumescent anesthesia) was 16.4 minutes.

"Feedback from physicians has been extremely positive on the performance, the speed, and the ease of use of the catheter," stated the company's Medical Director and Vice President of Clinical Research, Lian X. Cunningham, M.D., Ph.D. "In addition, ClosureFAST catheter investigators reported that the patient recovery profile has been rapid and mild as expected with radiofrequency ablation."

Like the original VNUS Closure® catheter, the new ClosureFAST catheter monitors treatment temperature and controls energy delivery. It is designed to avoid the vein perforations and related post-procedure pain and bruising that are commonly associated with endovenous laser treatment.

VNUS Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance to Market ClosureFAST^TM Catheter

New Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Catheter is Intended to Reduce Procedure Time While Preserving Favorable Patient Outcomes and Comfort

SAN JOSE, Calif.-August 3, 2006 -- VNUS® Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:VNUS), a leading provider of medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of peripheral vascular disease, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its ClosureFAST^TM radiofrequency catheter in the United States.

The VNUS ClosureFAST catheter is designed to heat, shrink and occlude refluxing saphenous veins with RF ablation times of just three to five minutes while maintaining the predictably fast and mild patient recovery that physicians have come to expect from RF.

"Achievement of U.S. marketing clearance is one of several significant milestones we are pursuing for our new ClosureFAST catheter. We are rapidly accumulating clinical experience prior to product launch. To date, the feedback we have received by users of this catheter and by patients who have received a ClosureFAST procedure has been very positive. The preliminary clinical experience produced with the ClosureFAST catheter has been excellent as evidenced by 100% acute success at closing veins with over 70 veins treated. Follow-up ultrasound examinations showed all but one of the treated veins remained closed. With continuing clinical success, we expect to launch this product in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2007," stated VNUS President and Chief Executive Officer, Brian E. Farley.

VNUS Medical Technologies Reports First Human Experience with New ClosureFAST^TM Catheter

New Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Catheter is Intended to Reduce Procedure Time While Preserving Favorable Patient Outcomes and Comfort

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 5, 2006 -- VNUS® Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNUS), a leading provider of medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of venous reflux disease, announced today that over 30 patients have been successfully treated with the VNUS ClosureFAST^TM catheter at three centers in Europe. All patients were treated under local anesthesia and 100% of treatments were successful at occluding the great saphenous vein both acutely and at a three day post-procedure ultrasound examination.

The VNUS ClosureFAST catheter is designed to heat, shrink, and occlude refluxing saphenous veins with RF ablation times of just three to five minutes, a goal achieved in all of the patients treated to date with the new device. The ClosureFAST catheter is designed to be compatible with the current VNUS RFG Plus^TM radiofrequency generator, requiring only a software upgrade which the company expects can be quickly performed in the field.

"VNUS is very pleased to provide this preliminary report of successful human clinical experience with the new ClosureFAST catheter. These initial results indicate that this product can significantly speed up procedure time while also providing patients the RF treatment benefit of rapid recovery with minimal or no discomfort," stated VNUS Medical Director and Vice President of Clinical Research, Lian X. Cunningham, M.D., Ph.D. Like the original VNUS Closure® catheter, the new ClosureFAST catheter controls vein wall temperature during treatment, and is designed to avoid the vein perforations and related post-procedure pain and bruising that are commonly associated with endovenous laser treatment.

"We are encouraged by these early results and will continue to accumulate additional clinical experience on our way to seeking marketing clearance of the product. With continuing clinical success, we look forward to the commercial launch of this product in the U.S. and other markets in 2007," stated VNUS President and CEO, Brian E. Farley.

News Articles

Press Releases

Next-Generation Catheter Treats Diseased Leg Veins More Than Twice as Fast as Previous RF Devices

Clinical Trial Results of VNUS ClosureFASTTM Catheter Presented at American Venous Forum Meeting

VNUS Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance to Market ClosureFASTTM Catheter

VNUS Medical Technologies Reports First Human Experience with New ClosureFASTTM Catheter

Clinical Trial Results of VNUS ClosureFAST^TM Catheter Presented at American Venous Forum Meeting

VNUS Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance to Market ClosureFAST^TM Catheter

VNUS Medical Technologies Reports First Human Experience with New ClosureFAST^TM Catheter