Covidian Grant

$500,000 COVIDIEN GRANT HELPS FUND INCREASED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES BY GI SOCIETIES

Covidien Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES®) Research Fund. Announced in Boston at 2nd International Conference on NOTES®

BOSTON, Massachusetts – July 12, 2007 – Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced today that its Surgical Devices business unit has provided a $500,000 grant to the Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research™ (NOSCAR® ) to establish the Covidien NOTES® Research Fund.

“Covidien’s support for research will allow physician investigators to lay the foundation for a new form of therapy called NOTES® that could lead to less pain and more rapid return to full activity for patients,” said David Rattner, MD, co-chair of the NOSCAR Working Group.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the organization’s 2nd International Conference on NOTES®, which will be held on July 13 and 14 in Boston.  NOSCAR is a joint initiative supported by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). By establishing NOSCAR, the societies hope to introduce NOTES® in a safe and responsible way that will provide an even less invasive way of undergoing surgical procedures.

“We are pleased to support NOSCAR and provide this important funding for significant research projects that will improve patient care for years to come,” said Robert DeSantis, General Manager, Endolumenal/NOTES. “The Covidien NOTES® Research Fund will help to ensure the safe and effective development of NOTES® procedures and techniques throughout the world,” added DeSantis.

“As was the case with laparoscopy, the paradigm shift to NOTES® will certainly require advances in technological innovation, comprehensive clinical research, and the highest level of professional medical education. Covidien’s financial support allows NOSCAR to continue their critical role in achieving success in these vital developments,” said Scott Flora, President, Surgical Devices Global Business Unit.

The International Conference is designed to explore and set a course of action to resolve the challenges involved in bringing transgastric endotherapy into the clinical realm. For more information on the conference and NOSCAR please visit www.noscar.org.

NOTES, NOSCAR, Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery and Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research are registered trademarks of ASGE and SAGES.