TELEFLEX INCORPORATED                    GENZYME CORPORATION

         Julie McDowell                           Bo Piela (media)
         Vice President,                          617-252-7785
         Corporate Communications
         610-832-7487                             Sally Curley (investors)
                                                  617-591-7140

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               July 1, 2003


                TELEFLEX ACQUIRES CARDIOTHORACIC DEVICES BUSINESS
                            FROM GENZYME CORPORATION

Plymouth Meeting, PA and Cambridge, MA -- Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) and
Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ:GENZ) announced today that Teleflex has acquired
substantially all of the assets of the Genzyme cardiothoracic devices business
in exchange for $32.4 million in cash and approximately $8 million in assumed
trade obligations. With the acquisition, Teleflex Medical, a division of
Teleflex Incorporated, expands its surgical device offerings to include
minimally-invasive heart surgery and vein harvesting systems, aortic punch
product lines, chest drainage and cardiovascular and valve suture products.

      These product lines were part of Genzyme's Biosurgery business. Genzyme
Corp. announced previously that it would divest these products, which fall
outside of the company's biotechnology focus.

      Based in Fall River, Massachusetts, the cardiothoracic devices business
employs over 450 people and provides specialty surgical devices for the
treatment of heart disease and broader surgical applications to over 2,500
customers in 45 countries around the world. In 2002, revenues for the
cardiothoracic product lines were approximately $76 million. The acquisition is
expected to be accretive to Teleflex's earnings in the first year.

      "This is one of the largest Medical Segment acquisitions Teleflex has
completed to date in terms of annual sales," said Jeffrey P. Black, president
and chief executive officer of Teleflex. "The transaction reflects our
commitment to expanding our position in the global market for surgery

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products, expediting product development and increasing utilization of our
global distribution network."

      "We are very excited to add this industry-leading group of cardiothoracic
products to Teleflex Medical's growing portfolio of products and services," said
Forrest Whittaker, president and chief operating officer of Teleflex Medical.
"By combining the market share, products and expertise of these two companies,
we can significantly improve our competitive position and enhance the offerings
to our global customer base."

      Duke Collier, executive vice president of Genzyme Corp., said "We are
grateful for the contributions of the employees of the cardiothoracic devices
business over the years. We were fortunate to work with many great people. The
experience we have gained within the heart surgery marketplace through our
devices business has been fundamental to the growth of our extensive efforts to
develop gene and cell therapies for heart disease, which remain a key area of
focus for Genzyme."

ABOUT TELEFLEX MEDICAL

Teleflex Medical, a division of Teleflex Incorporated, is a leading global
supplier of surgical instruments, medical devices, instrument management
services, and health care supplies. The company specializes in surgical
instruments for the cardiovascular, general, urology, gynecology, ENT, and
orthopedic markets. Teleflex Medical markets health care supplies for anesthesia
and urology under the Rusch brand name and surgical instruments and medical
devices under the Beere, KMedic, Pilling, and Weck brands. The company also
offers on-site operating room services for integrated health networks and custom
instrument design and manufacture for OEMs.

ABOUT TELEFLEX

Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE: TFX) is a diversified Fortune 1000 company with
annual revenues of over $2 billion. The company designs, manufactures and
distributes quality engineered products and services for the automotive, marine,
industrial, aerospace and medical markets worldwide. Teleflex employs more than
18,000 people worldwide who focus on providing innovative solutions for
customers. For more information, see WWW.TELEFLEX.COM.

ABOUT GENZYME CORPORATION

Genzyme Corporation is a global biotechnology company dedicated to making a
major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases and medical
conditions. This commitment has driven innovation in treating both widespread
diseases and rare genetic conditions, in providing leading diagnostic tests and
services, in bringing the benefits of biotechnology to the practice of surgery,
and in developing novel approaches to cancer. Genzyme's employees worldwide
serve patients in more than 80 countries.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

Statements in this news release, other than historical data, are considered
forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ from those contemplated in the statements. These
factors are discussed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission
filings.

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