ILSE Intralase Corp (MM)

IntraLase(R) Corp. (NASDAQ:ILSE), manufacturer of the ultra-fast laser that is revolutionizing refractive and corneal surgery, today announced the hiring of William M. Wright as Vice President, Operations, and Stephen A. McCusker as Vice President, Supply Chain Management. Wright will report to Charline Gauthier, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. McCusker will report to Wright. "With Bill's background and expertise in lean manufacturing, six-sigma quality, and rapid product commercialization, and Stephen's impressive track record in developing global supply planning processes, IntraLase is expertly equipped to accelerate our efforts in world-class manufacturing," stated Robert J. Palmisano, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Both Bill and Stephen have tremendous experience and are a welcome addition to the IntraLase management team." Wright has held Senior Management positions in Operations, Manufacturing and Quality Systems for over 25 years with companies in the medical device, diagnostics, biotechnology, and consumer products fields. Most recently, Wright was Vice President of Operations at Cytyc Surgical Products in Mountain View, Calif. Notably, Wright spent 11 years at Baxter Healthcare Corp. between 1984 and 1995 in various positions, including Vice President of Manufacturing and Consumable Product Development for the Paramax Division. McCusker has 20 years professional experience in Planning, Supply Chain Management, Contract Manufacturing Partnerships, Manufacturing and ERP Systems and implementations. He joined IntraLase after serving as Vice President of Operations at AutoGenomics Inc. and prior to that held positions in Senior Management of Operations and Supply Chain at Bayer Healthcare and Quest Diagnostics/NID. About IntraLase Corp. IntraLase designs, develops, and manufactures an ultra-fast laser that is revolutionizing refractive and corneal surgery by creating safe and more precise corneal incisions. Delivering on the promise of ophthalmic laser technology, the IntraLase FS laser, related software, and disposable devices replace the hand-held microkeratome blade used during LASIK surgery. The unsurpassed accuracy of IntraLase's computer-controlled femtosecond laser has been shown to improve safety profiles and visual outcomes when used during LASIK. Additionally, the IntraLase FS laser creates precision-designed intracorneal incisions that when combined can be used during lamellar and penetrating keratoplasties, and intrastromal ring implantation. IntraLase is presently in the process of commercializing applications of its technology in the treatment of corneal diseases that require corneal transplant surgery. The company's proprietary laser and disposable patient interfaces are presently marketed throughout the United States and 31 other countries. IntraLase has headquarters and manufactures its products in Irvine. For additional information, visit the company's Web site: www.intralase.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release that are not historical information are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "project," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the degree of continued acceptance of LASIK surgery; potential complications revealed by long-term follow up; the extent of adoption of our product offering by LASIK surgeons; general economic conditions; changes in federal tax laws governing the ability of potential LASIK patients to use pre-tax dollars to pay for LASIK surgery; the scope of government regulation applicable to our products; patients' willingness to pay for LASIK surgery; our ability to compete against our competitors; the effectiveness of our measures to ensure full payment of procedure fees; the occurrence and outcome of product liability suits against us; our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property; whether we become subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation of the intellectual property rights of others; the continued availability of supplies from single-source suppliers and manufacturers of our key laser components; the ability of our managers, operations, and facilities to manage our growth; the success of our expansion into markets outside the United States; whether we lose any of our key executives or fail to attract qualified personnel; or if our new products or applications fail to become commercially viable. Certain of these risks and uncertainties, in addition to other risks, are more fully described in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 1, 2006. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.