Notifiable Interest

Aortech International PLC
20 February 2002

Aortech International plc ('Aortech') announces that it received notification
yesterday of the following:


 1. 3i Group plc has a revised notifiable interest in 2,035,996 Ordinary Shares
    in Aortech representing approximately 5.34% of the issued share capital. The
    registered holder of these shares is BNY (OCS) Nominees Limited a/c 3i plc.

 2. Friends Ivory & Sime plc has a revised notifiable interest in 5,517,869
    Ordinary Shares in Aortech representing approximately 14.48% of the issued
    share capital. Such interest includes the material interests of the clients
    of Friends Ivory & Sime plc referred to below:

Name of Client                                         No. of shares         %                 Name of Registered Holder
The AIM Trust Plc                                          2,113,409      5.55                        Chase Nominees Ltd
3PC Investment Trust                                         797,872      2.09                        Chase Nominees Ltd
The AIM VCT Trust                                            509,806      1.34                        Chase Nominees Ltd
Baronsmead VCT2                                              162,341      0.43                        Chase Nominees Ltd
Baronsmead VCT Plc                                           127,341      0.33                        Chase Nominees Ltd
FP Equity Trust                                               41,800      0.11                               Citifriends
FIS UK Mid/Smaller Companies                               1,496,500      3.92                               Citifriends
FP UK Growth Trust                                            48,800      0.13                               Citifriends
FISMPF UK Smaller Companies                                  145,000      0.38                               Citifriends
FISIS ICVC Aim Growth Fund                                    75,000      0.20                               Citifriends


             Friends Provident Life Office, as the holding company of Friends
        Ivory & Sime plc is also interested in the shares referred to directly
        above.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange