Company Press Release Thursday August 26, 4:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Program Introduced to Create Awareness of
Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women
SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 26, 1999--A nationwide program aimed at the
early detection of a woman's risk of developing heart disease was jointly introduced today
by Women First HealthCare, Inc.
(Nasdaq:WFHC - news) and Cholestech Corporation (Nasdaq:CTEC - news).
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of
death in women, killing more women than all forms of cancer combined, according to the
American Heart Association. A
recent study released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG) indicated that 65% of women do
not know that cardiovascular disease is their major cause of death.
The new program provides testing of total cholesterol and High-Density Lipoprotein
(HDL) levels in female patients visiting
their gynecologists. High cholesterol levels indicate a major risk factor for heart attacks
and long term cardiovascular disease in
women. The testing, which takes less than 5 minutes using the technology developed by
Cholestech, will initially be conducted
in more than 300 gynecologist's offices in the U.S. It is expected that more than 30,000
midlife women will be tested over the
next few months.
According to market research, 54% of women view their obstetrician/gynecologist
(Ob/Gyn) as their primary care physician,
yet research shows that very few of these women are being tested or evaluated for their
risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
''We believe that this program will help Ob/Gyn's incorporate heart disease prevention
into their practices and help women live
healthier lives,'' said David F. Hale, President and CEO of Women First HealthCare. ''Of
the more than 30,000 women who
will be tested in this program, we expect approximately 40% to have high cholesterol
levels and at least one other risk factor
for heart disease,'' added Hale.
In addition, women can go online to review their risk factors for cardiovascular disease
and get the latest information on
cardiovascular disease in women by visiting the company's internet site
www.womenfirst.com or by calling the Midlife
Healthline toll-free at (877) 4WOMEN1 (877/496-6361). Womenfirst.com is the premier
site for information about women's
health care issues at midlife, and is guided by the Women First Health Advisory Board of
experts in women's health.
''We are pleased to be working with Women First HealthCare in this very important
women's initiative,'' said Warren E.
Pinckert II, President and CEO of Cholestech Corporation. ''The Cholestech L.D.X®
System enables a woman's Ob/Gyn to
assess her risk of heart disease and initiate preventive measures, almost immediately.''
The Cholestech L.D.X is a telephone-sized device that can conduct multiple simultaneous
diagnostic tests from a single drop of
blood and provide results, in less than five minutes, that are as accurate as similar tests
performed in clinical and hospital labs.
Cholestech Corporation manufactures and markets their proprietary system to healthcare,
wellness, and disease management
professionals for use in preventative care testing. The Cholestech L.D.X System is
positioned to benefit from the increasing
emphasis on preventive health care and disease management. Cholestech's portfolio of
CLIA-waived products is designed to
offer efficient and economic diagnostic screening and therapeutic monitoring options that
will ultimately enable people to lead
longer, healthier, and more active lives. For more information about Cholestech, please
visit our website at
www.cholestech.com
Women First HealthCare, Inc. develops and markets pharmaceutical and self care
products, and has established educational
programs and support systems for midlife women and their clinicians. Among its
pharmaceutical products, Women First
markets Pravachol® (pravastatin sodium), a cholesterol-lowering drug, to Ob/Gyn's and
associated nurse practitioners and
physician's assistants through its co-promotion agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Guided by its Health Advisory Board,
consisting of experts in women's health care, Women First has developed ''A Better
Way(TM)'', which is designed to help
improve the health of midlife women. Women First HealthCare, Inc. is based in San
Diego, California and can be visited on the
Internet at www.womenfirst.com.
Note to Editors: Cholestech L.D.X® System is a registered trademark of Cholestech
Corporation.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Women First HealthCare, Inc. and Cholestech Corporation have included in this press
release certain ''forward-looking
statements'' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
concerning Women First's and
Cholestech's business, operations and financial condition. The words or phrases ''can be'',
''expects'', ''may affect'', ''may
depend'', ''believes'', ''estimate'', ''project'', and similar words and phrases are intended
to identify such forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various known and unknown
risks and uncertainties, and both
Women First and Cholestech caution you that any forward-looking information provided
by or on behalf of Women First or
Cholestech is not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results could differ materially
from those anticipated in such
forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, some of which are beyond
Women First's or Cholestech's control, in
addition to those discussed in Women First's and Cholestech's other press releases, public
filings and statements by Women
First's and Cholestech's management, including (i) the competitive nature of the health care
industry, (ii) changes in domestic
and foreign economic and market conditions, (iii) the effect of federal, state and foreign
regulation on Women First's or
Cholestech's business, (iv) failure of Women First or Cholestech, its vendors or other third
parties to achieve Year 2000
compliance, and (v) the effect of any future acquisitions. All such forward-looking
statements are currently only as of the date
on which such statements were made. Neither Women First nor Cholestech undertakes
any obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any
such statement is made or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events. Actual results may be affected by additional
factors set forth in both Companies'
Securities and Exchange commission filings including Women First's most recently filed
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and
Cholestech's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q.
Contact:
Cholestech Corp.
Andrea Tiller, 510/732-7200
or
Women First HealthCare
Nancy Casey, 858/509-3814
ncasey@womenfirst.com
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