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July 8, 2011

Medafor Gets Approval to Use Arista^®AH for Neurological Surgical Procedures in Canada

MINNEAPOLIS, July 8, 2011 -- Medafor, Inc., announced today that Health Canada has approved Medafor’s Arista^®AH Absorbable Hemostat for use in neurological surgical procedures in Canada.

“Arista^®AH has compiled a remarkable record of surgical success around the world since its introduction in 2002. The unique, absorbable powder hemostat received FDA PMA approval in September of 2006 and is indicated for most types of surgery including cardiac, orthopedic, spinal and general surgical applications,” said Gary Shope, Medafor Chief Executive Officer.

“With Arista, Medafor has presented a commercially available product that meets the significantly higher standards required for Neurological procedures.  We are now marketing Arista in over 40 countries around the world, and soon hope to receive regulatory approvals to make Arista widely available for the  neuro hemostatic arena.  We expect this to create considerable market opportunity for our unique product, particularly in brain surgery.”

Arista^®AH consists of Medafor’s patented Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres (MPH^®), a plant-based, flowable powder engineered to rapidly dehydrate blood, enhancing clotting on contact. Arista^®AH facilitates the formation of a highly resilient, natural clot within just a few minutes regardless of the patient’s coagulation status.

Arista^®AH is the only new generation surgical hemostat that is instantly ready to use, requiring no mixing, no addition of patient blood or other components and no special handling or storage conditions.  Pre-clinical evaluations, clinical studies and surgical use have shown the hemostatic capabilities of Arista^®AH to be comparable to the current popular choice of surgical hemostatic materials while its unique formulation allows for rapid absorption. Arista^®AH is fully absorbable with studies substantiating no trace of the material at the wound site within 24 to 48 hours of application, and because Arista^®AH degrades rapidly, it does not promote infection.

About Medafor Inc.

Medafor is a privately held Minnesota corporation based in Minneapolis. Medafor was founded to develop applications and markets for its patented, plant-based, flowable hemostatic powder technology. MPH^® is a microporous, polysaccharide hemostatic agent that is engineered to rapidly dehydrate blood and accelerate clotting.  Medafor received FDA approval for surgical use in 2006 and has held a CE Mark approval since 2003.