04/29/2005
Sorin Group: Bellco announces the introduction of an innovative therapeutic system for the treatment of Sepsis

Milan April 27, 2005 – Bellco, a company of the Sorin Group (Reuters code: SORN.MI) with a leadership position in the development of therapies and systems for the treatment of kidney failure, has made available to clinical practitioners an innovative therapeutic system for the treatment of sepsis. The announcement was made by Drago Cerchiari, Sorin's Chief Executive Officer.

Sepsis is a pathological condition characterized by bacterial and viral infections and systemic inflammation. It is typically caused by trauma, surgical procedures, burns or serious diseases. It is a dynamic process capable of progressing from a local infection to a systemic reaction leading quickly to organ failure and death.

Each year, there are about 210,000 deaths associated with sepsis in the United States. About 140,000 occur in Europe, 26,000 of which are estimated to take place in Italy.

The innovative system developed by Bellco is designed to provide patients with Coupled Plasma Filtration Adsorption (CPFA) therapy which, as has been shown in international trials, is able to eliminate the mediators that are responsible for the inflammation, reestablish cellular functions and improve hemodynamic conditions (arterial pressure and cardiac function), greatly increasing the survival rate.

"The CPFA therapy developed by Bellco is an effective treatment for a very serious condition that is the main cause of death in non-coronary intensive care units. Sepsis is also a major burden for health systems throughout the world: in Europe alone, it accounts for 40% of total intensive care expenditures, at an annual cost of about 7.6 billion euros, and requires hospital stays averaging about 13 days," said Alberto Cantaluppi, Bellco's Chief Executive Officer.

Sepsis: Characteristics and Epidemiology

About 60% of all sepsis cases (systemic inflammatory response) evolve into severe sepsis (sepsis associated with multiorgan failure). Septic shock, the most serious complication of sepsis, is associated with hypotension, lactic acidosis and altered mental alertness.

As the shock progresses, the heart rate is no longer controllable and serious cardiorespiratory failure ensues. Severe sepsis and septic shock have a high mortality rate (50% to 70%) and are the main causes of death in non-coronary intensive care units.

Microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) comprise different components, which can stimulate immune cells to produce mediators (special proteins) that can destroy the invading organisms. When an infection become systemic or the immune response is excessive, a patient can develop a destructive response, producing an excess of mediators, which can damage cells or an entire organ, such as a kidney. The condition can even progress to the stage of immunoparalysis, where a patient's cells are no longer able to respond to an invasion of microorganisms.

The incidence of sepsis has been increasing at an annual rate of 8.7%. In addition to a steady rise in the recognition of this pathology, other factors contributing to the increase of this statistic are the aging of the population, greater use of invasive procedures to diagnose and monitor critical patients, an upsurge of organisms that are resistant to antibiotics and a rise in the number of patients with compromised immune systems.

Coupled Plasma Filtration Adsorption

The CPFA system that Bellco has developed, drawing on its expertise in kidney purification techniques, is designed to remove excess mediators (which are responsible for the systemic inflammation and immunoparalysis) so as to prevent or contain the deterioration of the overall clinical picture. A patient is hooked up to a device that purifies his or her blood, removing the mediators that are responsible for the inflammation. The patient's plasma is filtered through a cartridge containing small resin spheres that absorb the mediators. After passing through the cartridge, the purified plasma is returned to the patient. Kidney substitution therapy is provided subsequently.

The key advantage in using this purification system is that the treatment is able to adsorb a wide range of mediators that are involved in severe sepsis, independent of the state of septic shock or the type of micororganism that initiated the sepsis.

Bellco, a company with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare field, is a global player in the market for therapies and systems that treat kidney failure. Its mission is to provide expertise, reliability and innovation to the medical and scientific community. Bellco constitutes the Renal Care Business Unit of the Sorin Group.

The Sorin Group (Reuters code: SORN.MI), a world leader in the development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery, offers innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional cardiology and the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. The companies of the Sorin Group are: Bellco, CarboMedics, COBE Cardiovascular, Dideco, ELA Medical, Mitroflow, Soludia, Sorin Biomedica and Stöckert. The Sorin Group has about 4,800 employees working at facilities in more than 80 countries throughout the world to serve over 5,000 public and private treatment centers.

For additional information, please visit the following websites: www.sorin.com , www.bellcospa.it

Marilena Giavara
Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Tel. +39 02 6332 201
marilena.giavara@sorin.com

Laura Villa
Investor Relations Manager
Tel. +39 02 6332 316
laura.villa@sorin.com