December 1, 2003

News Release: Response Biomedical Announces US Marketing Agreement With ADAPCO For The RAMP(R) West Nile Virus (WNV) Test

Response Biomedical Corp. (RBM: TSX Venture Exchange), today announces that it has appointed ADAPCO, Inc., the largest distributor of mosquito control products and associated equipment in the United States, as the sole US distributor for the Company's independently validated RAMP(R) West Nile Virus (WNV) Test.

'Commercial interest from potential purchasers and marketing partners accelerated last month after we released the results from an independent US CDC evaluation demonstrating our high sensitivity RAMP West Nile Virus Test is the most accurate rapid on-site environmental test on the market,'says Bill Radvak, President and CEO, Response Biomedical. 'We are confident that ADAPCO has the necessary relationships, resources and commitment to facilitate revenue from product sales beginning early in the new year, and importantly, to ensure RAMP becomes the new industry standard in environmental detection of West Nile virus.'

'ADAPCO's selection to introduce the RAMP WNV Test to the US vector control market is in keeping with our objectives of providing the latest in innovative technology and the highest level of service to our industry,'says Allen Wooldridge, President of ADAPCO, Inc. 'We are very pleased to be associated with Response Biomedical and excited about the prospects for a long term relationship.'

According to recent evaluations performed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the RAMP WNV Test is more than 10 times as sensitive as any other commercially available rapid environmental WNV test. Furthermore, field-testing conducted separately by Health Canada and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection shows RAMP consistently demonstrates greater than 75% sensitivity in direct comparison with PCR-based lab analyzers when testing mosquitoes.

Since there are no effective vaccines or treatments, there is an urgent public health need for rapid and reliable detection of West Nile virus to enable early identification and strategic intervention through chemical extermination of infected insects to prevent human transmission.

From 1999 through 2001, there were 149 confirmed cases of WNV human illness in the US, including 18 deaths. Last year, WNV resulted in 4,156 human illnesses and 284 deaths in North America alone. According to the US CDC, there have been 8,567 human cases reported this year and the virus is permanently established. West Nile is an infectious disease that can jump species, and the virus has already spread to 230 species of animals.

ADAPCO, Inc. represents the principal manufacturers of mosquito control products in a geographical area that encompasses approximately ninety percent of the available market for public health vector control products in the US. Headquartered in Florida, ADAPCO has field sales representatives in the Southeast, Northeast, in the Mid-West through its joint venture with London Fog, Inc. and Western States through its subsidiary, Fennimore Chemicals. ADAPCO also participates in the vector control markets in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean Basin. For more information, please visit www.adapcoinc.com.

Response Biomedical develops, manufactures and markets rapid on-site RAMP tests for medical and environmental applications providing reliable information in minutes, anywhere, every time. The RAMP System consists of a portable fluorescent Reader and single-use, disposable Test Cartridges. RAMP tests are commercially available for the early detection of heart attack, environmental detection of West Nile virus, and biodefense applications including the rapid on-site detection of anthrax, smallpox, monkeypox, ricin and botulinum toxin.

Response Biomedical is a publicly traded company, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol 'RBM'. The Company is also listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the trading symbol 'RBQ'. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.responsebio.com.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of the content of the information contained herein. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward- looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.

For further information: Media Contacts: Don Bradley, Director,Corporate Communications, Response Biomedical Corp., Tel (604) 681-4101 ext202, Email: dbradley(at)responsebio.com; Jim Barr, Vice President, ADAPCO,Inc., Tel: (800) 367-0659, Email: jbarr(at)e-adapco.com

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