Polymer Heart Valve

Aortech International PLC
31 March 2003


                             AorTech International plc

                  Polymer Heart Valve and Biomaterials Progress


AorTech International plc ('the Company') announced on 6 January 2003 that
future activity would be concentrated on the Company's biomaterials business and
on the research and development programme for its polymer heart valve.

After thoroughly re-assessing and recognising the now limited market opportunity
for a stented, tri-leaflet polymeric heart valve and endeavouring but failing to
find a partner to share the lengthy and significant development and regulatory
costs, the Company has decided that it has little option but to terminate
investment in this project. However, in spite of this, the Company believes that
the technology behind the polymer valve is significant and that it has made
advances in valve design, performance and manufacturing. New IP has been filed
for the polymer valve, including the percutaneous application of the technology.
The Company will continue to seek a partner to exploit this intellectual
property and know how. Termination of the investment in this development project
will reduce the Company's cash burn significantly, enabling it to concentrate on
its biomaterials activity.

AorTech Biomaterials is focused on a variety of applications for its proprietary
composite silicone/polyurethane material Elast-Eon. These include applications
for cardiovascular, interventional cardiology, orthopaedic, cardiac rhythm
management, plastic surgery, urology and ENT.

New customer contacts have been established for biomaterials business
partnerships in a number of medical device areas.

The Company continues to seek a buyer for the intellectual property rights to
the TruCCOMS Continuous Cardiac Output Monitoring System.



                            31 March 2003


ENQUIRIES:

AorTech International plc                                     Tel: [phone]
Bill Strachan, Chief Executive
Ian Cameron, Finance Director

College Hill                                                  Tel: [phone]
Nicholas Nelson
Clare Warren




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