STEWARTVILLE, Minn., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Rochester Medical Corporation
(Nasdaq: ROCM)  Today Rochester Medical Corporation's new FemSoft(R) Insert
becomes commercially available for the first time.
    The FemSoft Insert is a simple and gentle solution to female stress
urinary incontinence.  It is a small, disposable, fluid filled sleeve that is
soft, comfortable, and compressible.  A woman places the FemSoft Insert in her
urethra to prevent leakage and removes it before voiding.  If continued
protection is needed, she simply inserts a new one.
    Urinary incontinence (the involuntary loss of urine) is a medical problem
that impacts the lives of millions of women of all ages, most of whom have
stress urinary incontinence.  In women between the ages of 15 and 64 years,
the incidence of incontinence can be as high as 30%.  Stress urinary
incontinence is marked by the involuntary leakage of urine during coughing,
laughing, sneezing, or other physical activities that increase pressure on the
bladder.
    Throughout the coming year, the Company will be phasing in patient access
to the FemSoft Insert at pre-planned locations across the United States.
Before introducing the product in a particular city or region, the company
will ensure that prescribing clinicians in those locations are appropriately
trained and supplied with patient training information, starter-kits, etc.
    Beginning today, the FemSoft Insert is available by prescription from ten
clinical locations.
    Clinicians at these sites are prepared to evaluate a women's incontinence
and prescribe the FemSoft Insert.  The women will receive a starter kit
containing product information and samples.  She then will use the
1-800-FEMSOFT toll free number to order the product through the FemSoft
Resource Center.
    The ten locations are:

    University of Iowa
    Department OB/GYN
    Iowa City, Iowa

    Northeast Indiana Urology PC.
    Ft. Wayne, Indiana

    Mayo Clinic
    Department of Urology
    Rochester, Minnesota

    San Diego Uro-Research
    San Diego, California

    Aurora Urology
    Aurora, Colorado

    Shepherd Center Urology
    Atlanta, Georgia

    Urology Specialists of Michigan
    Royal Oak, Michigan

    University of Washington
    Department of Urology
    Seattle, Washington

    Center for Pelvic Floor Disorders
    Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    DKN and Associates
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Anthony Conway, Chief Executive Officer of Rochester Medical said, "This
is a great day for Rochester Medical.  Our people have been working hard for
five years to make this day possible.  It is also a great day for the millions
of women who have been suffering from the indignities of incontinence.
Starting today, there is a new solution available that is simple, comfortable,
and immediate."
    Conway continued, "Today is the start of a carefully planned phased
introduction of the FemSoft Insert.  The next phase is a higher visibility
introduction of the product, featuring clinician education seminars and
consumer advertising support in Denver, Detroit, and Iowa City, after which
other metropolitan areas will be phased in.
    "We want to ensure that we enroll a significant number of prescribing
clinicians in each area prior to investing in direct to consumer advertising.
Ultimately, we believe the prescribing clinicians and users of the FemSoft
Insert will become the best advocates and most effective sales people for the
product."

    The immediately preceding statement contains forward looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties, including the results of product
evaluations, the timing of purchases by customers, manufacturing capacities
for both current products, and new products, the results of clinical tests,
the timing of clinical preference testing and product introductions, and FDA
review and response times, as well as other risk factors listed from time to
time in the Company's SEC reports, including, without limitation, the section
entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual report on Form 10-K (part II,
Item 6) for the year ended September 30, 1999.
    Rochester Medical Corporation develops, manufactures and markets latex
free disposable medical catheters and devices for urological and continence
care applications.  The company markets its products under its own Rochester
Medical(R) brand and under private label arrangements.
    For further information, please contact Anthony J. Conway, President and
CEO at 507-533-9600, or 1-800-FEMSOFT for product information.

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