Sales Update

RNS Number:4803K
Osmetech PLC
29 April 2003

                          Osmetech plc ("the Company")

         Osmetech Secures $700,000 Sales to China for the Assessment of
                                 SARS Patients

Osmetech, the developer of medical diagnostics devices, has secured initial
sales in excess of $700,000 for Osmetech OPTI blood gas analyser instruments and
consumables to customers in China in its first month of ownership following
acquisition of the product line.

OPTI portable instruments incorporate optical sensors for blood gas, electrolyte
and metabolite analysis and can aid in the monitoring of the treatment of severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

                                      Ends

Enquiries:

Osmetech plc
James White, Chief Executive                            01270 216 444

Bell Pottinger Financial                                020 7861 3882
Matthew Moth                                            020 7861 3871
Charles Reynolds



Notes to Editors:

Osmetech plc

  * Osmetech's strategy is to build a healthcare diagnostics business in the
    fast growing near patient testing and point of care markets. It has two
    product focuses, the OPTI product line of blood gas analysers and its
    proprietary e-nose technology.

The OPTI Business


  * The OPTI business, acquired from Roche Diagnostics in April 2003, is
    focused on portable instruments incorporating optical sensors for blood gas,
    electrolyte and metabolite analysis. These are primarily set in the
    emergency room and cardiac monitoring hospital settings.

  * The Osmetech OPTITM CCA is very effective as a fast and accurate method
    for measuring the pH/blood gases, oxygen saturation, electrolytes and
    acid-base balance during the treatment of SARS patients. This can be
    especially useful in cases where a ventilator or supplemental oxygen therapy
    must be employed to aid in patient treatment.

  * While no definitive diagnostic test is currently available for SARS, the
    Osmetech OPTI's test panel can be effectively utilised to detect blood gas
    variations that frequently occur in SARS patients. The onset of hypoxemia is
    usually apparent in the latent stages of the illness. It is important to
    closely monitor these critical blood gas parameters and quickly adjust
    treatment as needed for optimal outcome of SARS infected patients.

  * The OPTI business has established market positions throughout the world
    with an existing customer base of over 4,000 instruments already in use,
    with approximately one-third in the US. Revenue is generated through sales
    of new instruments and ongoing repeat sales of proprietary reagents to
    facilitate analysis.

  * The OPTI analysers utilise a sensor technology based on optical
    fluorescence sensors and the process of optical reflectance. The major
    advantages of this technology are its reliability and stability, which makes
    the technology superior to electrochemical based systems.

Osmetech's e-nose technology


  * Osmetech's e-nose technology is based around an array of conducting
    polymer sensors that are designed to detect ("sniff") the volatile
    components emitted by bacteria as they metabolise. The sensors can therefore
    screen patient samples and test for the presence of infection-causing
    bacteria.

  * The Company is currently focusing its e-nose IP development on sensors
    that can detect bacteria associated with a number of healthcare applications
    in the near patient and point of care testing markets.

  * On 22 November 2001, Osmetech announced that it had received FDA approval
    for its UTI sensor product. This was the first time the FDA had approved
    e-nose technology for use in the healthcare diagnostic industry.

  * On 29 January 2003, Osmetech announced that it had received FDA approval
    for its bacterial vaginosis (BV) sensor device. This sensor is now being
    incorporated into a new integrated point of care device for diagnosing and
    differentiating between the most prevalent and clinically important vaginal
    infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea.




                      This information is provided by RNS
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