Alsius Corporation Receives Regulatory Approval in China ...( IRVINE Calif. March 24 /- Alsius ...),Health

IRVINE, Calif., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alsius Corporation (Nasdaq: ALUS), the worldwide leader in intravascular patient temperature management therapies, has received approval from regulatory authorities in China and Mexico to market its intravascular temperature management (IVTM(TM)) systems and catheters in those countries. Alsius IVTM(TM) provides cooling and warming therapy via a computer-controlled temperature regulation system that connects to Alsius' proprietary heat exchange catheters.

"Although we are still at the very early stages of development in Asia and Latin America, we are excited about introducing the first intravascular temperature management product in China and Mexico and hope to leverage this advantage to grow those markets," said Bill Worthen, President and CEO of Alsius. "Alsius continues to make progress in growing the international market for its 'inside-out' approach to therapeutic temperature management."

Last year, Alsius hired a sales manager to oversee growth of the Asia-Pacific region. The company currently has regulatory approval in Thailand, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan and Malaysia. Additionally, there is an application in process in Japan, and the company has initiated the regulatory approval process in several other countries.

Alsius IVTM(TM)

Alsius' IVTM(TM) consists of the CoolGard 3000, Thermogard and Thermogard XP systems and a family of single-use catheters, including the Icy, Fortius and Quattro catheters. The catheters are inserted into a major vein through a patient's neck or groin, and circulate cool or warm saline in a closed-loop through balloons that surround the catheters. This approach decreases or increases core temperature from the inside of the
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