ARTE Artemis Strategic Investment Corporation

Artes Medical Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTE), a medical aesthetics company, today announced that the Company has amended its current lawsuit against two former officers and company founders, Stephan and Gottfried Lemperle, to include claims of improper proxy solicitation activities and related misconduct by proxy organizer Michael Shack and others, including former employees of the Company. The Company alleges in the lawsuit that Shack and other individuals are working in concert with the defendants in an effort to interfere with the business of the Company and is seeking $30 million in economic, compensatory and punitive damages for losses arising out of tortious interference and other misconduct by these individuals. The lawsuit as amended alleges that the misconduct of the defendants and others working in concert with them includes inappropriate and damaging contact with the Company�s customers and investors, breach of confidentiality and non-disparagment agreements with former officers and employees of the Company, coordinated attacks on the Company�s reputation and integrity through the internet and other communications that violate proxy solicitation rules, conspiracy with others to file unfounded lawsuits against the Company, all in an attempt to injure the Company�s commercial and financial footing as well as financing activities and weaken the Company in an effort to make it easier to gain control without adequately rewarding Artes Medical shareholders. Through this lawsuit, Artes Medical is seeking appropriate monetary damages from all responsible parties participating in these activities. �We intend to bring the full force of the law against individuals who circumvent appropriate and lawful business practices to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace at the expense of the Company, its officers, directors and stockholders,� stated Christopher J. Reinhard, Executive Chairman of Artes Medical. About Artes Medical, Inc. Artes Medical is a medical aesthetics company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing a new category of aesthetic injectable products for the dermatology and plastic surgery markets. The Company�s flagship product, ArteFill, is being marketed to men and women as a treatment option for the correction of nasolabial folds. Additional information about Artes Medical and ArteFill is available at www.artesmedical.com and www.artefill.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company�s current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to its management and Board of Directors. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company�s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. As a result of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, which include the Company�s history of net losses, its ability to timely raise additional funds to support its operations and future product acquisition plans, its ability to manage its operating expenses, its reliance on sales of ArteFill and Elevess, its future receipt of FDA approval to extend the efficacy period of ArteFill beyond six months and eliminate the skin test requirement, and the risk that the Company�s revenue projections may prove incorrect because of unexpected difficulty in generating sales and market acceptance of ArteFill and Elevess, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included in this letter to stockholders. A more extensive set of risks and uncertainties is set forth in the Company�s SEC filings available at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements represent beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, even if new information becomes available in the future. Artes Medical� and ArteFill� are registered trademarks of Artes Medical, Inc.