ArthroCare to Receive 2008 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award

AUSTIN, Texas, May 29, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — ArthroCare® Corp. (Nasdaq:ARTC) announced today that its Opus® TwinLock™ Knotless Fixation System, launched last year, has earned them the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation. The Award is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within their industry.

To identify the recipient of the Award, Frost & Sullivan does not accept nominations or submissions. All recipients are selected based upon Frost & Sullivan’s industry-wide tracking and research. An analyst team tracks new product launches, R&D spending, products in development, and new product features and modifications. All new product launches and new products in development in each company are compared and evaluated based on degree of innovation and customer satisfaction.

In its formal Award Recipient write-up, Frost & Sullivan noted that, “Since its launch, the TwinLock system has been received well in the market and has been considered a true innovation by industry experts. The product was designed keeping in mind the surgeons’ need for simpler and faster methods than those available for arthroscopic rotator cuff procedures.”

The Opus TwinLock Knotless Fixation System is a device that, as part of the Company’s innovative AutoCuff® System family of products, is designed to provide orthopedic surgeons with a simpler, faster process for performing arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs.

“ArthroCare’s ability to allocate its efforts to ensure the continuity of product and technology development in the market is commendable and has helped the company make its mark in the orthopedic space,” Frost & Sullivan’s analyst Aarti Shetty concluded. “The Opus TwinLock Knotless fixation system is definitely a promising product and shows great potential to gain huge market adoption in the coming years. Its innovative design will elevate the products to new levels of product acceptance in the marketplace. In recognition of the innate qualities offered and its immense impact on the market, ArthroCare’s Opus TwinLock Knotless fixation system is the worthy recipient of the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award.”

“We’re very excited about our TwinLock Knotless Fixation System being recognized by Frost & Sullivan for this prestigious award,” said Jack Giroux, president of ArthroCare Sports Medicine. “The device is designed to dramatically simplify the most challenging rotator cuff repairs by providing a dual implant system that can be placed and tensioned by the surgeon in seconds--directly through the rotator cuff. In terms of acceptance and demand from surgeons, the system has already exceeded expectations. This Award is icing on the cake. It’s a great honor.”

ArthroCare will formally receive their Product Innovation Award on September 15 at Frost & Sullivan’s 2008 Growth Excellence Awards Banquet in San Francisco.

For more information about Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards, go to www.awards.frost.com.

About ArthroCare
Founded in 1993, ArthroCare Corp. (www.arthrocare.com) is a highly innovative, multi-business medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets minimally invasive surgical products. With these products, ArthroCare targets a multi-billion dollar market opportunity across several medical specialties, significantly improving existing surgical procedures and enabling new, minimally invasive procedures. Many of ArthroCare’s products are based on its patented Coblation technology, which uses low-temperature radiofrequency energy to gently and precisely dissolve rather than burn soft tissue--minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Used in more than four million surgeries worldwide, Coblation-based devices have been developed and marketed for sports medicine; spine/neurologic; ear, nose and throat (ENT); cosmetic; urologic and gynecologic procedures. ArthroCare also has added a number of novel technologies to its portfolio, including Opus Medical sports medicine, Parallax spine and Applied Therapeutics ENT products, to complement Coblation within key indications.

Safe Harbor Statements
Except for historical information, this press release includes forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, the company’s stated business outlook for fiscal 2008, continued strength of the company’s fundamental position, the strength of the company’s technology, the company’s belief that strategic moves will enhance achievement of the company’s long term potential, the potential and expected rate of growth of new businesses, continued success of product diversification efforts, and other statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the uncertainty of success of the company’s non-arthroscopic products, competitive risk, uncertainty of the success of strategic business alliances, uncertainty over reimbursement, need for governmental clearances or approvals before selling products, the uncertainty of protecting the company’s patent position, and any changes in financial results from completion of year-end audit activities. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including ArthroCare’s Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007. Forward-looking statements are indicated by words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “believes,” “intends,” “expects,” and similar words and phrases. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations.

SOURCE: ArthroCare Corp.
FischerHealth for ArthroCare Corp.
Kellie Reagan, 310-577-7870, ext. 126
kreagan@fischerhealth.com