Lausanne, Switzerland, October 31, 2001 - Debiotech, S.A., a privately held Swiss Medical Device company, announced today that it has entered into a long term development, license and technology transfer Agreement with Terumo Corporation in Japan.

Under this Agreement, Terumo acquired exclusive rights to manufacture and market the new Automated Peritoneal Dialysis System and related disposable cassette from Debiotech for the Japanese market. The agreement is based on upfront payments plus royalties to Debiotech.

The Renal ExpresTM Automated Peritoneal Dialysis System is presently under development by Debiotech, together with its unique patented disposable cassette, and shall provide safe and cost-effective Peritoneal Dialysis therapy in both hospital and home care settings. Its small size and lightweight, as well as Telemedicine remote survey and programming capability with voice-over-data telephone transmission, represents a significant improvement in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis offering.

The Renal ExpresTM Pump system is part of Debiotech's advanced therapeutic and drug delivery systems designed to meet the growing market need for improved therapeutic systems, particularly in areas such as the home care environment and chronic use.

Terumo plans to manufacture and sell the Renal ExpresTM system and its disposable cassette in Japan under its brand name, using the already available manufacturing partners selected by Debiotech.

Dr. Frédéric Neftel, CEO, Debiotech SA, stated, "We are delighted to enter into a long-term relationship on Renal ExpresTM with Terumo, which has today the strongest market presence in Japan in the Medical Devices and Dialysis field. Terumo's marketing and manufacturing expertise, as well as strong knowledge in dialysis, will effectively contribute reaching our common objective towards improving Quality of Life of peritoneal dialysis patients at home and should ultimately participate to the success of one of our leading product in Asia."

Dr. Akira Takahashi, Executive Vice President, Terumo Corp., stated, "The Renal Expres System has big potential to revolutionize the Peritoneal Dialysis therapy in future. We expect this new system will contribute to the Q.O.L of dialysis patients and shift more patients from the Hemo Dialysis therapy to the Peritoneal Dialysis therapy in Japan, which is helpful for common life in society."

ABOUT DEBIOTECH SA

Debiotech S.A. specializes in the research and development of innovative medical devices in the field of Dialysis, IV and nutrition therapy, electronic infusion systems, drug reconstitution and syringes, flow control, diagnostics, implantable drug delivery systems and micro-systems for insulin and peptide drug delivery. http://www.debiotech.com.

ABOUT TERUMO Corporation

Terumo was established in 1921 and has a high market share of broad range of medical products in Japan and overseas.
Terumo products are reputed for their leading-edge technology in markets worldwide and are contributing to the healthcare of people in more than 150 countries.

Head Office: 44-1, Hatagaya 2-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
President: Takashi Wachi
Web site: http://www.terumo.com
Paid-in Capital: 38,716 millions of yen (End of March, 2001)
Consolidated Net Sales: 176,049 millions of yen (End of March, 2001)
Number of Employees: 7,438 (End of March, 2001)
Main Business: Manufacture and Sales of medical products, ex. I.V. solution, blood bags, disposable medical devices, catheters for angiography and treatment, cardiovascular systems, dialysis systems, medical electronic products and home medical instruments, etc.