Contact:
Silvana Guerci-Lena Manager, Public Relations
sguerci@optos.com
508-787-1437
Optos Named European Inventor Of The Year 2008
5/7/2008
MARLBOROUGH, MA, 07 May 2008 – Optos plc (LSE: OPTS), a leading medical technology company for the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of retinal imaging devices, is today announcing that it has been named by the European Commission and European Patent Office (EPO) as European Inventor of the Year 2008 in the SME and Research category in recognition of the Company’s proprietary scanning laser technology.
Europe’s top innovation prize honors pioneers whose inventions have changed everyday lives and helped to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. Douglas Anderson, founder of Optos, received the award yesterday in Ljubljana, Slovenia from the Slovenian President Danilo Türk, EU Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission Günter Verheugen and EPO President Alison Brimelow.
Commenting, Mr Anderson, said:
“It was with genuine humility that I accepted this award recognising that it was the efforts of every engineer and designer that made this possible, which would in turn have been for nothing had not all those involved in manufacturing, procurement and quality assurance constructed our device, which again would have made no difference had not our field staff delivered relentlessly and for everyone in administration who kept us focused in the earliest days - this has been a tremendous team effort and accomplishment.”
Optos was the only British finalist in the awards in the competition with entries from across Europe. Other category winners came from Germany, Belgium and the US. The award was judged by an independent panel that looked at technological achievements that have been developed and successfully marketed between 1993 and 2002.
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About Optos Plc
Optos plc is a leading and rapidly growing medical technology company for the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of devices that image the retina, the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye. Optos has commercialized a full range of complementary retinal imaging devices that support different customer segments and patient levels within the eye and healthcare market: P200 is concentrated on wellness screening carried out by optometrists and ophthalmologists; P200C in the advanced clinical optometry and ophthalmology markets; P200MA supports doctors through an advanced medical angiography procedure. All three devices provide practitioners with the benefit of an ultra wide-field high resolution view of the retina, facilitating the early detection, management and treatment of disorders and diseases evidenced in the retina such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Retinal imaging can also indicate evidence of non-eye or systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers. Optos’ technology provides an unequalled combination of wide-field retinal imaging, speed and convenience for both practitioner and patient and can help save sight and save lives.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates and projections about its industry, its beliefs and assumptions. Words such as 'anticipates,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control, are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. The Company cautions shareholders and prospective shareholders not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the view of the Company only as of the date of this announcement. The forward-looking statements made in this announcement relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. The Company will not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions or updates to these forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or unanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcement except as required by law or by any appropriate regulatory authority.