| CONTACTS: |
César García,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
|
818-709-1244
|
|
-or-
|
|
Ron Stabiner, The Wall Street Group, Inc. |
|
212-888-4848 |
CHATSWORTH, CA, July 3, 2008 - IRIS INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NASDAQ: IRIS),
a leading manufacturer of automated in-vitro diagnostics systems and consumables for use in hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide, today announced that it has been listed on
the Russell 3000®, the Small-Cap Russell 2000® and the Russell Microcap™ indexes, effective as of the close of business on June 27, 2008, when
Russell Investments reconstituted its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes.
The Russell family of U.S. indexes is designed to be a comprehensive representation of the investable U.S. equity market. These indexes are market-cap
weighted and include only common stocks belonging to corporations incorporated in the United States and its territories.
"We are very pleased to be ranked among America's largest publicly-held companies with our latest inclusion in the Russell indexes, which is a
reflection of our exceptional growth and progress," said César García, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our listing in the Russell indexes will only further
help increase our visibility to a larger group of institutional investors and index funds which peg their investments to these lists."
About Russell
Over the past 25 years, Russell's innovative methodology has helped their indexes become the benchmarks most used by institutional investors. Currently,
institutional investment professionals responsible for over $4.4 trillion in assets use Russell indexes to guide their portfolios. The annual reconstitution of the Russell indexes
captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization. The top 3,000 stocks become the Russell 3000® Index, the largest
1,000 stocks become the Russell 1000® Index, the next 2,000 stocks become the Russell 2000® Index, and the smallest 1,000 stocks in the Russell 2000 Index
plus the next smallest 1,000 stocks comprise the Russell Microcap Index. These investment tools originated from Russell's multi-manager investment business in the early 1980s when
the Russell Investment Group saw the need for a more objective, market-driven set of benchmarks in order to evaluate outside investment managers.
ABOUT IRIS INTERNATIONAL
IRIS International a leading global in vitro diagnostics company focused on products that analyze particles and living cell forms and structures, or morphology of a variety of body
fluids. Our products leverage our strengths in flow imaging technology, particle recognition and automation to bring efficiency to hospital and commercial laboratories. The initial
applications for our technology have been in the urinalysis market and we are the leading worldwide provider of urine microscopy systems, with an installed based of over 1,800 systems in
over 50 countries.
SAFE HARBOR PROVISION
This press 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 financial performance, market growth, capital requirements, regulatory developments, new product
introductions and acquisitions, 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, R&D initiatives,
competition and capital requirements. Other factors and uncertainties that could affect the Company's forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following:
identification of feasible new product initiatives, management of R&D efforts and the resulting successful development of new products and product platforms; obtaining regulatory
approvals for new and enhanced products; acceptance by customers of the Company's products; integration of acquired businesses; substantial expansion of international sales;
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;
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 competitive factors, including pricing pressures and the introduction by others
of new products with similar or better functionality than our products. These and other risks are more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which should be read in conjunction herewith for a further
discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
