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MANSFIELD, Mass.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced the appointment of Richard DeRisio as Vice President, Global Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, effective immediately. He will report directly to Michael Sgrignari, Senior Vice President, Quality & Operations.

Mr. DeRisio will oversee all of the Companyas activities related to Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Regulatory Compliance, Complaint Management and Design Quality Assurance. He also will establish and implement processes enabling continuous improvement and proficiency and will select and manage supporting technology platforms. Additionally, he will assist in designing and deploying strategies to facilitate global alignment of Covidienas Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs policies, procedures and best practices.

A 40-year healthcare industry veteran, Mr. DeRisio has extensive, in-depth knowledge of quality and regulatory affairs. Most recently, he served as Divisional Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, for Abbott Medical Optics in Santa Ana, California, where he directed strategic analyses and regulatory processes for global product approvals, clearances, registrations and renewals. He earlier served in senior clinical, quality and regulatory management positions at several firms, including Kinetic Concepts, Inc., STERIS Corporation, Computer Motion, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, including the Biosense Webster division, Sorin Biomedical and Pfizer Hospital Products Group. He also worked for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for 10 years.

Mr. DeRisio has been actively involved in ANSI, the American National Standards Institute; AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, where he currently serves on the Technology & Regulatory Committee and the Post-market Policy Working Group, which he co-chairs; the Advisory Board for the University of Southern California Regulatory Science Graduate Program; and the Editorial Advisory Board for Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry. Mr. DeRisio is a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society and has earned Regulatory Affairs Certification. He holds a bacheloras degree in Chemical Engineering and a masteras degree in Food Science & Technology, both from Cornell University.

ABOUT COVIDIEN

Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies. With 2011 revenue of $11.6 billion, Covidien has 41,000 employees worldwide in more than 65 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries. Please visit [ www.covidien.com ] to learn more about our business.