FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2005
Contact: Daryl Risinger
805.562.0511

SANTA BARBARA, CA – Frost & Sullivan will present Inogen with the 2005 Oxygen Therapy Product of the Year Award at tonight’s Excellence in Medical Devices & Healthcare Awards Banquet in recognition of the company’s development of the Inogen One Oxygen Concentrator. The Inogen One is redefining the Oxygen Therapy Market by creating a new category of products. Rather than developing a stationary or a portable device, Inogen created a product that serves the therapy needs of today’s more independent oxygen patient as well as the business needs of the home healthcare provider.

Prior to the introduction of the Inogen One, the oxygen therapy market wasn’t thought of as being technologically advanced. Although devices within the category were generally known to fulfill therapeutic functions, the benefits derived from oxygen therapy did not always outweigh the ensuing challenges that confronted patients. When placed on oxygen therapy, the patient frequently lost mobility and the ability to lead an active life. Due to the lack of product innovation, patients have been required to make sacrifices in their lifestyles. Stationary concentrators and portable oxygen devices that are limited by the capacity of the tank or vessel used, have simply not met the needs of ambulatory patients who wish to continue leading a lifestyle reminiscent of their lives before oxygen therapy.

“The Inogen One is redefining the oxygen therapy market by not taking the traditional approach of creating a stationary or a portable product,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Alpesh Gandhi. “Designed to perform as both a stationary and a portable device, the Inogen One system presents an opportunity for spontaneity and more active life both at home and on the road.”

The ambulatory features have become very popular with the home medical equipment industry and patients alike. One particularly unique feature is a satellite conserver. The Inogen One Satellite Conserver extends the patient’s range by allowing oxygen to be delivered up to 100 feet from the device, giving the patient the opportunity to be mobile in their household without carrying the device from room to room. Thus, the patient can leave the device at a central location within the household with the capability of moving around and still receive an adequate supply of oxygen. “This, along with many other unique attributes that Inogen One provides, has resulted in an unbelievable response from the patient community,” notes Gandhi.

Frost & Sullivan presents its Product of the Year Award each year to the company that has excelled in product innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies. The product is unique and revolutionary, and provides significant competitive advantage to the company as well as to customers. The superior technological sophistication of the product has set the company on a growth trajectory in the market.

Held in San Francisco, Calif., Frost & Sullivan’s 2005 Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet honors world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in the medical industry. An annual event, the banquet recognizes the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies.