[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
- ---------
Charles W. Federico, Group President and CEO, Orthofix International, N.V.,
704/948-2600
Thomas Hein, CFO, Orthofix International, N.V., 704/948-2600



                 Orthofix Announces Appointment of New Directors

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C., Dec. 7, 2004 -- Orthofix International, N.V. (NASDAQ: OFIX)
is pleased to announce the appointment of two new independent directors, Guy J.
Jordan, Ph.D., and Kenneth R. Weisshaar, who will join the Board immediately.
Dr. Jordan and Mr. Weisshaar will replace Edgar Wallner and John Littlechild,
who will be retiring from the Board of Orthofix N.V. after 17 years of valuable
contributions to the success of the company. Their much appreciated wisdom and
dedication were key in the growth of the company from a small entity into
today's global medical device corporation.

Dr. Jordan has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Georgetown University as well
as an MBA in marketing and brings over 25 years of professional R&D and large
company senior management experience to the Board. As a Group President at C.R.
Bard, Inc., Dr. Jordan had strategic and operating responsibility for Bard's
global oncology business and functional responsibility for all of Bard's
Research and Development. He is currently serving on the boards of several
public and private medical device companies.

Mr. Weisshaar, who has a BS from MIT and an MBA from Harvard, brings to the
Board additional significant experience in developing and implementing
strategies for global medical businesses. Ken was previously a consultant at
McKinsey & Co. He then spent 12 years as a corporate officer at Becton Dickinson
where, at different times, he was responsible for global businesses in medical
devices and diagnostic products and served as CFO and VP Strategic Planning. Ken
is currently on the board of several companies in the health care industry.

Both gentlemen will further strengthen the Board of Orthofix with their large
company perspective, strategic outlooks, and extensive R&D experience. They will
strongly support the company's reputation as a major global player in the
medical device industry.

About Orthofix International, N.V.
Orthofix International N.V., a global diversified orthopedic products company,
offers a broad line of minimally invasive surgical, as well as non-surgical,
products for the spine, reconstruction, and trauma market sectors that address
the lifelong bone-and-joint health needs of patients of all ages--helping them
achieve a more active and mobile lifestyle. Orthofix's products are widely
distributed around the world to orthopedic surgeons and patients--via Orthofix's
sales representatives and its subsidiaries, including Breg Inc., and via
partnerships with other leading orthopedic product companies, such as Medtronic
Sofamor Danek, Stryker Howmedica, and Kendall Healthcare. In addition, Orthofix
is collaborating in R&D partnerships with leading medical institutions such as
the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the Orthopedic Research and
Education Foundation, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Innovative Spinal
Technologies and National Osteoporosis Institute. For more information about
Orthofix, please visit www.orthofix.com.





                                                                         more...



                                                                        Page Two



Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements under the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may
include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the projections,
financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Orthofix, and are
based on management's current expectations and estimates and involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially
from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could
cause or contribute to such differences may include, but are not limited to,
risks relating to the integration of the businesses of Orthofix and Breg,
unanticipated expenditures, changing relationship with customers, suppliers and
strategic partners, risks relating to the protection of intellectual property,
changes to the reimbursement policies of third parties, changes to governmental
regulation of medical devices, the impact of competitive products, changes to
the competitive environment, the acceptance of new products in the market,
conditions of the orthopedic industry and the economy and other factors
described in the most recent report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports
filed by Orthofix with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


                                    # # # # #