INVO Bioscience, Inc. Launches INVOcell Procedure in South America in Newly Created INVO Centers and Existing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Centers

Business Wire, June 01, 2009

BEVERLY, Mass. -- INVO Bioscience, Inc. (OTC BB: IVOB), a medical device company focused on treatment options for patients diagnosed with infertility, announced today that the first South American INVO Center has officially opened in Cali, Colombia, and six existing In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) centers located in Armenia, Cúcuta, Bogotá, Ibagué, Medellin and Ubate, Colombia are also now offering the INVO procedure. INVO Bioscience’s patented product, the INVOcell, allows for vaginal incubation of eggs, sperm and early embryo development during the infertility treatment process.

The INVO Center of Cali in Colombia located at the clinic of Farallones is the first stand-alone INVO Center opened in South America. In addition, six IVF centers that have elected to start offering the INVOcell procedure were all introduced at a major infertility conference with 80 specialists in infertility from Central and South America in attendance.

“The opening of the INVO Center of Cali, along with the introduction of the INVO procedure at six IVF centers in Colombia, is a major step forward in our goal of offering INVO in countries around the world as a simpler and more affordable solution to address infertility,” said INVO Bioscience CEO Kathleen Karloff. “We are thrilled by the positive attention and responses we’ve already received from the South American medical community. The availability of the INVO procedure in both stand-alone centers and existing IVF centers reaffirms that this breakthrough does not compete with IVF, but instead is a new option that will greatly increase access to treatment to the 150 million infertile couples worldwide.”

The conference featured a presentation of the INVO procedure by INVO Bioscience President Dr. Claude Ranoux, who was accompanied by Athena Saunders, RN, Commercial Director of INVO Bioscience for South America. Dr. Ranoux was presented with the most distinctive award from the town of Cali for his work and his scientific contribution to the reproductive medical specialty.

The creation of a new association was announced in Bogota related to the future implementation of the INVO procedure in Central and South America. Under the scientific direction of Dr. Elkin Lucena, “INVO Red Colombiana de Fertilidad” is designed to assist in educating and offering outreach programs to leading Central and South American physicians and infertility specialists who plan to offer the INVOcell procedure. Dr. Ranoux and other leading infertility specialists discussed the first experience of the INVO procedure and highlighted all its possible applications during the conference. Dr. Lucena presented the first clinical and original application of the INVO procedure in Bogota. Under his direction, the first maturation of immature eggs was performed using an INVOcell device in a Colombian patient suffering from polycystic ovaries (PCO). As a result of this novel INVO procedure on the patient, she is now pregnant.

INVO Bioscience, Inc. also announced plans to work with infertility specialists in Panama, Guatemala, San Salvador, Mexico and Peru to offer the INVOcell procedure in the near future.

Dr. Ranoux and Saunders traveled to Lima, Peru, as well to train Dr. Julio Diaz and his embryologist Arturo Chung Diaz of the Nacer Infertility Clinic on the INVO procedure.

“Dr. Diaz and his embryologist were convinced regarding the simplicity and the efficacy of the INVO procedure,” said Dr. Ranoux. “As a result, four specialists in infertility were also trained and plan to start INVO units in the next two months with the technical support of the Nacer Infertility Clinic.”

The INVOcell has already received European CE Mark approval and began selling units in late 2008 in select countries outside the United States. INVO Bioscience, Inc. is pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for the INVOcell.

About the INVO Procedure

The INVOcell and INVO Procedure combine a natural or mild (mild medication) stimulation infertility treatment cycle, using lower amounts of injectable fertility hormones than used in traditional IVF (in vitro fertilization), with intra-vaginal incubation (IVC) of sperm and eggs. Following standard egg retrieval, the woman’s eggs (oocytes) are combined with sperm in the INVOcell, a small device, which is then sealed and placed in the woman’s vaginal cavity to incubate for three days. When the INVOcell is removed, the anticipated one to two developing embryos are transferred directly into the woman's uterine cavity, where implantation and continued pregnancy can take place.

The company has received European CE Mark approval for the INVOcell and, in 2008, launched the product in select countries outside the U.S. The company is also pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for the INVOcell.