RITA Medical Systems, Inc. Names Kenneth L. Waters Senior Vice President, Global SalesMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- RITA Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RITA), a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets minimally invasive products to treat patients with solid cancerous or benign tumors, today announced that veteran medical device industry sales executive Kenneth L. Waters, 49, has been named Senior Vice President, Global Sales, effective immediately. Waters reports directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Cheskin and is responsible for leading the Company's worldwide sales efforts, which consist of its domestic direct sales and sales management team of around 30 professionals and its international sales team and network of more than 20 international distributors in Europe and Asia. As a member of the Company's senior management team, his responsibilities also include formulating and implementing worldwide sales strategies and programs and contributing to the Company's overall business strategies and operations.

Cheskin said that the Company's near-term sales and marketing focus is to rapidly expand the use of its radiofrequency (RF) ablation technology for the treatment of unresectable liver cancer, a condition affecting more than a million people worldwide, leaving many of them with few or no treatment alternatives.

"Ken is the ideal executive to lead our global sales organization in the achievement of both near- and long-term goals," said Cheskin. "While the liver cancer market is large and we are gaining momentum there, we see additional large market opportunities for our platform technology in addressing additional types of cancers and other serious health concerns. In addition to the continued expansion of our worldwide market position in the liver cancer market and the introduction of our new advanced generation disposable in the near term, the commercial introduction of our RF-based products for the treatment of metastatic bone cancer pain and unresectable lung cancer are the next major opportunities for us late in 2002."

"Ken's extensive experience and proven track record leading worldwide sales organizations that sell medical devices with a focus on disposables and critical therapeutic concepts will be instrumental to our achieving success in these endeavors," Cheskin added. "I have personally seen Ken achieve ambitious sales objectives and expand and protect dominant market share positions in very competitive markets."

Waters came to RITA Medical Systems, Inc. from Montvale, NJ-based Datascope Corp. where he spent 11 years and was most recently Divisional Vice President, Global Sales. Waters started with Datascope as National Sales Manager, U.S. and also served as Director of Sales, U.S. Prior to Datascope, he was Director of Sales for Weck Instruments. Waters began his career at Becton, Dickinson and Company, where he held increasingly responsible sales and sales management positions. He has been recognized by Sales and Marketing Magazine as one of "The 10 Best Managers in the Selling Business." Waters graduated from Jacksonville State University with a bachelor's degree in management and a minor in economics.

Waters replaces David Martin, who was Vice President, Global Sales and has left the Company to pursue other career opportunities.

About RITA Medical Systems

RITA Medical Systems develops, manufactures and markets innovative products for patients with solid cancerous or benign tumors. The proprietary RITA system uses radiofrequency energy to heat tissue to a high enough temperature to ablate it or cause cell death. While the company's current focus is on liver cancer, the company believes that its minimally invasive technology may in the future be applied to other types of tumors, including tumors of the lung, bone, breast, prostate and kidney. The company has received regulatory clearance in major markets worldwide, including the United States. In March 2000, RITA became the first radiofrequency ablation company to receive specific FDA clearance for unresectable liver lesions in addition to its previous general FDA clearance for the ablation of soft tissue. The company has sold over 30,000 of its disposable devices throughout the world.

The statements in this news release related to the company's plans to rapidly expand the use of its radiofrequency ablation technology for the treatment of unresectable liver cancer, launch new products, extend its technology to applications beyond the liver and commercially introduce its products for the treatment of non-liver applications in 2002 are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include the company's dependence on timely market acceptance of the RITA system, the outcome of current patent actions, the company's history of operating losses and expectation that it will continue to incur significant operating expenses over the next several years, significant competition in the company's industry and alternative therapies which could prove to be superior to the RITA system. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and the company's Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2001 and June 30, 2001.

For further information, please contact: investors, Matt Clawson, matt@allencaron.com, or media, Len Hall, len@allencaron.com, both of Allen & Caron Inc, +1-949-474-4300, for RITA Medical Systems, Inc.; or Don Stewart, Chief Financial Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-314-3400, dstewart@ritamed.com.

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X72530114
SOURCE RITA Medical Systems, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.ritamedical.com
CONTACT: investors, Matt Clawson, matt@allencaron.com, or media, Len Hall, len@allencaron.com, both of Allen & Caron Inc, +1-949-474-4300, for RITA Medical Systems, Inc.; or Don Stewart, Chief Financial Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-314-3400, dstewart@ritamed.com