Digene Continues Regional and National Direct-To-Consumer Campaign

Digene Continues Regional and National Direct-To-Consumer Campaign

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digene Corp. (NASDAQ:DIGE) announced today that it is expanding its DTC television advertising campaign into four regional markets and 25 top metropolitan markets with a targeted national advertising program. The program involves a thrust into the state of Florida with regional advertising in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando - Daytona Beach, and Tampa - St. Petersburg markets and advertising in Pittsburgh, PA, an important regional market. In addition, the company is targeting women nationally in the top 25 metropolitan areas with placements on the No. 1 rated talk program - The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The Digene direct-to-consumer campaign is designed to educate women about the benefits of testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of cervical cancer prevention. The Digene(R) HPV Test is the only FDA-approved test for high-risk types of HPV, and is approved for use along with a Pap test to screen women age 30 and older -- the group most at risk of cervical cancer.

"Since we first launched our TV advertising campaign in March 2005, this medium has proven to be highly effective at educating women quickly and in a compelling, personal manner," said Robert Lilley, Senior Vice President for Global Sales and Marketing for Digene. "In the regions where we have already run our ad, physicians are reporting an increased number of women inquiring about HPV and the HPV test, with market penetration of the Pap plus HPV combination currently double the national rate in those areas. That means many more women are having a conversation with their doctors or nurses about a critical public-health concern: cervical cancer and how to best prevent it."

Digene has previously aired its TV ad in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington DC. Mr. Lilley said that with the recent launch of the first HPV vaccine, it is important to educate women about the ongoing need for screening.

About Digene

Digene Corporation (NASDAQ:DIGE), based in Gaithersburg, MD, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary DNA and RNA testing systems for the screening, monitoring and diagnosis of human diseases -- with a focus on women's cancers and infectious diseases. The company's hc2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test(R) is the only test for human papillomavirus approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for both follow-up evaluation in women with inconclusive Pap results and for primary adjunctive screening with the Pap test in women age 30 and older. For primary adjunctive screening, it is marketed as both The Digene HPV Test and the DNAwithPap(R) Test. These brand names do not refer to the Digene product that tests for several types of the virus commonly referred to as "low-risk HPV," which are not associated with cervical cancer. For more information, visit www.thehpvtest.com. Digene's HPV test is also CE-marked in Europe both routine, primary screening and follow-up evaluation of women with inconclusive Paps. It is marketed in more than 40 countries worldwide. In addition, Digene's product portfolio includes DNA tests for the detection of other sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, as well as tests for blood viruses. For more information, visit the company's Web site, www.digene.com. Investors also may contact Charles Fleischman at (301) 944-7000; journalists may contact Pam Rasmussen, (301) 944-7196.

Source: Digene Corp.

CONTACT: Charles M. Fleischman, President of Digene Corporation,
+1-301-944-7000; or Investor Relations - Jonathan Birt of Financial Dynamics,
+1-212-850-5634, or Media - Pam Rasmussen of Digene, +1-301-944-7196, or Sean
Leous of Financial Dynamics, +1-212-850-5755

Web site: http://www.digene.com/
http://www.thehpvtest.com/

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