(http://www.transcendmedical.com/)

Transcend Medical, Inc., an ophthalmic device company dedicated to

developing minimally invasive glaucoma therapies, announced that the

CyPass Micro-Stent@ will be the subject of four clinical presentations

this week at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

(ASCRS) annual meeting.

"These ASCRS abstracts, and in particular the preliminary twelve-month

CyCLE data from our international colleagues, demonstrate the

potential for the CyPass Micro-Stent to safely reduce and stabilize

intraocular pressure over time with minimal side effects," commented

Steve Vold, MD, Steering Committee Chairman for the COMPASS clinical

trial, which is evaluating the CyPass@ device in the United States.

The four scientific abstracts accepted for publication include:

The CyPass Micro-Stent is the first micro-invasive glaucoma stent

designed to drain aqueous fluid toward the suprachoroidal space. It is

designed to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) by bypassing the

trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal -- drainage paths that may be

diseased in glaucomatous eyes -- and by enhancing uveoscleral outflow,

one of the eye's alternative, natural drainage pathways. This device

is currently being studied in combination with cataract surgery in the

COMPASS multicenter clinical trial, one of the largest randomized,

controlled, studies in surgical glaucoma to date.

"We are encouraged by both the clinical data and our overall progress

with the CyPass Micro-Stent technology," said Brian Walsh, President

and Chief Executive Officer of Transcend Medical. "In the U.S., the

COMPASS pivotal trial, which has already achieved 50 percent

enrollment, has set a new standard for surgical device trials in the

mild-to-moderate glaucoma population in that it is designed to

evaluate product risks and benefits through two years of follow-up

while eliminating the confounding factor of glaucoma medication use."

Ike K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, Assistant Professor at the University of

Toronto, stated, "To date, the CyPass Micro-Stent is the most studied

minimally invasive device that takes advantage of the high potential,

pressure-lowering physiology of the suprachoroidal drainage path.

Implanting the CyPass device is a very straightforward procedure,

resulting in IOP-lowering and quick recovery."

About the CyPass Micro-Stent@

The CyPass Micro-Stent is the first micro-invasive glaucoma stent

designed to drain aqueous fluid toward the suprachoroidal space. It is

about the size of a grain of rice and is made of polyimide, a highly

biocompatible polymer. Once in place, the CyPass Micro-Stent is

designed to provide 24-hour IOP control, which may reduce the risk of

glaucoma disease progression. While CE mark for the device was granted

in 2008, the CyPass Micro-Stent is for investigational use only.

About the COMPASS Clinical Study

The COMPASS clinical study, which is under way at over 20 study sites

in the U.S., is a large randomized, controlled trial evaluating the

CyPass Micro-Stent in combination with cataract surgery against

cataract surgery alone for the treatment of glaucoma. For more

information about the study, please visit

www.compassclinicalstudy.com(http://ctt.marketwire.com/?release877449&id1512487&type1&urlhttp%3a%2f%2...).

About Transcend Medical, Inc.

Transcend Medical

(www.transcendmedical.com(http://ctt.marketwire.com/?release877449&id1512490&type1&urlhttp%3a%2f%2...))

is focused on the development of minimally invasive medical devices

for the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of adult irreversible

blindness. Over 4 million people in the U.S. and roughly 60 million

worldwide are afflicted with the disease today and the numbers are

expected to grow to nearly 6 million in the U.S. and over 70 million

worldwide by the year 2015.

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