SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, May 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI), a leading manufacturer and
marketer of proprietary disposable devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in
cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care and endoscopy, today announced its execution of a worldwide distribution agreement
with NinePoint Medical, Inc. and the development of a strategic alliance between its Merit Endotek division and NinePoint Medical.
This alliance includes a strategic investment for NinePoint Medical’s Nvision VLE® Imaging System with Real-time
Targeting™.
This alliance combines gastrointestinal and pulmonary medical devices from Merit Endotek with the
ground-breaking Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) platform from NinePoint Medical. Merit believes this OCT platform is
quickly becoming a primary imaging device used by many leading hospitals in the U.S. to aid in the early detection of esophageal
cancer.
“We are very excited to form this alliance in order to provide NinePoint Medical’s highly innovative OCT imaging
system to our customers and other clinicians around the world,” said Merit’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred P.
Lampropoulos. “Merit Endotek is a market leader in GI solutions, and we share NinePoint Medical’s vision of improving early
cancer detection and thereby improving patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.”
“NinePoint Medical is committed to providing GI physicians an elegant and cost-effective OCT imaging solution to
enable early and accurate diagnosis,” said Christopher R. von Jako, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NinePoint
Medical. “Merit Endotek is the ideal partner as they have the reputation, clinical experience, and complementary product
portfolio to grow this business.”
ABOUT MERIT
Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable
medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology, oncology,
critical care and endoscopy. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling
approximately 290 individuals. Merit employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide with facilities in South Jordan, Utah;
Pearland, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Malvern, Pennsylvania; Rockland, Massachusetts; San Jose, California; Maastricht and Venlo,
The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing, China; Tijuana, Mexico; Joinville, Brazil; Markham, Ontario, Canada;
Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; and Singapore.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding Merit's
forecasted plans, revenues, net income, financial results or anticipated or completed acquisitions, are forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those
described in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and subsequent filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Merit's potential inability to successfully manage
growth through acquisitions, including the inability to commercialize technology acquired through completed, proposed or future
transactions; expenditures relating to research, development, testing and regulatory approval or clearance of Merit's products and
risks that such products may not be developed successfully or approved for commercial use; governmental scrutiny and regulation of
the medical device industry, including governmental inquiries, investigations and proceedings involving Merit; restrictions
on Merit's liquidity or business operations resulting from its debt agreements; infringement of Merit's technology or the assertion
that Merit's technology infringes the rights of other parties; product recalls and product liability claims; changes in customer
purchasing patterns or the mix of products Merit sells; the potential of fines, penalties or other adverse consequences if Merit's
employees or agents violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other laws or regulations; laws and regulations targeting
fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry; potential for significant adverse changes in governing regulations, including reforms
to the procedures for approval or clearance of our products by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or comparable regulatory
authorities in other jurisdictions; changes in tax laws and regulations in the United States or other countries; increases in the
prices of commodity components; negative changes in economic and industry conditions in the United States or other countries;
termination or interruption of relationships with Merit's suppliers, or failure of such suppliers to perform; fluctuations in
exchange rates; concentration of a substantial portion of Merit's revenues among a few products and procedures; development of new
products and technology that could render Merit's existing products obsolete; market acceptance of new products; volatility in the
market price of Merit's common stock; modification or limitation of governmental or private insurance reimbursement policies;
changes in healthcare policies or markets related to healthcare reform initiatives; failure to comply with applicable environmental
laws; changes in key personnel; work stoppage or transportation risks; introduction of products in a timely fashion; price and
product competition; availability of labor and materials; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; and other factors referred
to in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and other materials filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly
qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will likely differ, and may differ materially, from
anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future
operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.
Contact: Anne-Marie Wright, Vice President,
Corporate Communications
Phone: (801) 208-4167 e-mail: awright@merit.com Fax: (801) 253-1688
