STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 7, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Gambro AB (Stockholmsborsen:GAMBaST)(Stockholmsborsen:GAMBbST), a leading international medical technology and healthcare company, today announced that the Board of Gambro AB has resolved to implement an employee stock option program for year 2002. This program is similar to the programs implemented for the years 1999 - 2001 which are described in Gambro's financial statements; however the maturity for the options are determined to five years this time. In line with the existing program, the strike price will amount to 110 % of the current stock market price, which will be established on the basis on a trading average in relation to the allocation. The program is encompassing 3.7 million underlying shares. As for the previous years, the intention is that the Company's exposure in case of a share price increase, inclusive potential social security costs, will be fully secured by a hedge in the form of a so-called equity swap. Thereby, it has been assessed that the program will not have any dilutive impacts for the Company or the share holders, but that the cost is instead assessed to be limited to an interest cost computed on the value of the underlying shares when the swap is entered into (reduced for an amount corresponding to the dividends attributable to the underlying shares). The allocation is intended to be made in the same way as for the programs of the previous years, so that higher executives, totaling some four hundred, are divided into four different categories ("bands"). The CEO constitutes the highest band, with an allocation which the Board has decided to 111.875 options, while the immediate superiors will decide upon the final allocation for the other categories/bands.
The program for year 2002 is corresponding to some 1.1 % of all the shares in the Company; together with existing programs, the total extent corresponds to some 2.8 %.
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