MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2003--C. R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE - BCR) announced today that it has acquired the right to purchase the assets of Genyx Medical, Inc., headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California.

Genyx is a privately held medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets Uryx(R), a proprietary injectable bulking agent for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

A conservative estimate of 25 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence, a non-life threatening but often debilitating condition. Some 85 percent of incontinence sufferers are female. Minimally invasive bulking agent therapy is frequently used to treat patients who are non-surgical candidates or who wish to delay surgical treatment or who have failed surgical therapy.

William H. Longfield, chairman and chief executive officer, commented, "The agreement to acquire Genyx affords Bard the opportunity to further strengthen our leadership position in the incontinence category, a significant growth area within urology. This is one of many areas in which Bard intends to invest incremental research and development funds as a means of driving new business and building shareholder value."

Uryx is a proprietary liquid polymer injected into the area surrounding the female urethra. Upon injection, the liquid transforms into a spongy mass, providing support to the urinary sphincter, reducing or eliminating the accidental loss of urine. Uryx is CE marked. Genyx is in the final stages of a multi-center randomized trial in the U.S. and anticipates filing a pre-market approval (PMA) application with the FDA in the first half of 2003. C. R. Bard, Inc., (www.crbard.com), headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey, is a leading multinational developer, manufacturer and marketer of health care products in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology and surgical specialty products. This press release contains forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. Please refer to our September 30, 2002 Form 10-Q for a statement with regard to forward-looking statements, including disclosure of additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied.

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