RITA Announces That Infusion Pump Shipments Have ResumedMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RITA Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RITA) announced today that it had resumed shipping accessory infusion pumps used with its StarBurst^™ XLi disposable devices. The company had previously announced an interruption in the supply of this pump. It indicated that it has qualified a new pump from its existing supplier as well as new pumps from an alternative supplier and is prepared to ship either one.

Don Stewart, RITA's Chief Financial Officer, said, "We are pleased to announce the resumption in supply and reaffirm our previous guidance of sales for the fourth quarter of $3.5-4.0 million." He noted that while field experience with the new pumps is limited and the company is awaiting approval from TUV, an international product testing and certification organization, as well as finalization of its conditional UL approval on pumps from its existing supplier, it expects to have an adequate supply of pumps to meet customer demand.

About RITA Medical Systems, Inc.

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 and metastatic bone 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, breast, uterus, 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. In October 2002, RITA again became the first company to receive specific FDA clearance, this time, for the palliation of pain associated with metastatic lesions involving bone. The Company has sold over 40,000 of its disposable devices throughout the world.

The statements in this news release related to the company's sales projections, its future ability to meet pump demand and its plans to extend its technology to applications beyond the liver are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

RITA and StarBurst are trademarks of RITA Medical Systems, Inc.

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 .

SOURCE RITA Medical Systems, Inc.