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IRIS SHIPS FIRST iQ^®200 SPRINT^TM AUTOMATED URINALYSIS UNITS

Latest Model Analyzer Targets New Market Including Clinical Reference Labs and Hospitals Requiring High-Volume Systems

Software Upgrade for Existing Customers of iQ200 System Also Released

CHATSWORTH, Calif., March 7, 2005 -- IRIS International, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRIS), a manufacturer and marketer of automated IVD urinalysis systems and medical devices used in hospitals and reference clinical laboratories worldwide, today announced the launch and first shipment of its iQ^®200 Sprint^TM, the fastest automated urine microscopy analyzer on the market. The iQ200 Sprint addresses the high specimen throughput required by the clinical reference laboratory and high volume hospital laboratories.

"We are pleased to have met our goal of rolling out a new product in the first quarter of 2005 targeting a new market for high volume systems," stated IRIS President and Chief Executive Officer César García. "Initial orders for nine iQ200 Sprint Analyzers have been received from domestic customers and international distributors. The high-throughput iQ200 Sprint can process 101 urine samples per hour compared with 60 for our flagship iQ200 System and will enable IRIS to strengthen its position as the leading manufacturer of automated urinalysis equipment."

IRIS also announced the release of Software Revision 3.0 upgrade for the iQ200 System, which will enhance the over-all functionality of its state-of-the-art product platform by speeding up the already simplified process of reviewing abnormal urine samples. "This new software, which is embedded in the new Sprint analyzer, is also being sent as a value added upgrade to existing iQ200 System customers," Mr. García said. "It will continue to reduce the time a laboratory technician spends evaluating data. In addition, the software upgrade incorporates the urine chemistry quality control data from the AX-4280 analyzer into the quality control data of the iQ200 System."

The new iQ200 Sprint provides a platform for the approximately 1,000 large clinical reference laboratories and hospitals in the U.S. and 500 internationally that require high-throughput, automation, fast turnaround time, and increased sample handling capability. The iQ200 Sprint is a high-speed extension of the fully automated iQ^®200 Urine Microscopy Analyzer and companion iQ200 System, launched in August 2003, which will continue to be sold to an initial target market of 2,500 mid-sized laboratories in the U.S. and 6,500 internationally. To date, some 340 iQ200 units have been sold.

The iQ200 Sprint and the iQ200 Automated Urine Microscopy Analyzers can be marketed as standalone units or integrated into the iQ200 System or iQ200 Sprint System. The iQ200 System family consists of an iQ200 Automated Urine Microscopy Analyzer connected with the AX-4280 Automated Urine Chemistry Analyzer manufactured by Japan's ARKRAY, Inc. When the two analyzers are integrated with hardware provided by IRIS, the end result is the only fully integrated platform in the world performing complete urinalysis, both chemistry and microscopy.

About IRIS International, Inc.
IRIS International, Inc. (http://www.proiris.com), based in Chatsworth, Calif., is a leader in automated urinalysis technology with systems in major medical institutions throughout the world. The Company's new generation iQ^®200 Automated Urinalysis platform, utilizing image flow cytometry, patented Automated Intelligent Microscopy (AIM) technology and neural network-based particle recognition, achieves a significant reduction in the cost and time-consuming steps involved in manual microscopic analysis. The Company's StatSpin^® subsidiary, based in Norwood, Mass., manufactures innovative centrifuges and blood analysis products. Advanced Digital Imaging Research, LLC (ADIR), based near Houston, Texas, is the Company's imaging research and development subsidiary.

SAFE HARBOR PROVISION
This news release contains forward-looking statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's views on future commercial revenues, market growth, capital requirements, new product introductions, and are generally identified by phrases such as "thinks," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," and similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statement. These statements are based upon, among other things, assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management, including management's own knowledge and assessment of the Company's industry, competition and capital requirements. Other factors and uncertainties that could affect the Company's forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following: the acceptance by customers of our new iQ200 product platform, our substantial expansion of international sales and our reliance on key suppliers, the potential need for changes in long-term strategy in response to future developments; future advances in diagnostic testing methods and procedures, as well as potential changes in government regulations and healthcare policies, both of which could adversely affect the economics of the diagnostic testing procedures automated by the Company's products; rapid technological change in the microelectronics and software industries; and increasing competition from imaging and non-imaging based in-vitro diagnostic products. The Company refers interested persons to its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings for a description of additional uncertainties and factors that may affect forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no duty to update its forward-looking statements.