November 28, 2005

For Immediate Release

Drug Eluting Stents Vie for Supremacy -- November 2005 MedMarkets

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA — Presentations at the 2005 TCT (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics) meeting in October have added to the accumulated peer-reviewed literature on the advantages, strengths and overall superiority of different drug-eluting stents (DES) on the market, the TAXUS (Boston Scientific) versus Cypher (Johnson & Johnson).  Although there is continued development of next generation stents, much attention is centered on which of the currently approved products perform better for specific indications.  The November 2005 MedMarkets summarizes esults of recent trials are summarized and provideds a review on the range of addtional manufacturers' stents and stent coatings under development.

"As if the market for approved uses was not large enough, data at TCT showed that more than half of DES usage is actually off-label," says Patrick Driscoll, publisher of MedMarkets.  "One study showed big usage in acute MI and multi-vessel disease."

The November 2005 MedMarkets reviews the trials and debates associated with Cypher and TAXUS, but also provides a review of DES developments at soon-to-be-competing companies in this arena:  Abbptt. Biosensors International, Xtent, Devax, CV Therapeutics, Sorin Biomedica Cardio, Medtronic, Conor Medsystems, Guidant and MIV Therapeutics.

MedMarket Diligence provides tactical decision-making solutions on medical technology to the medical products and investment industries. The company publishes the MedMarkets newsletter, a monthly analysis of the market implications of new medical technologies, and dedicated reports on technology markets.  For additional details, contact Patrick Driscoll at email or call 949-859-3401 or toll-free (in the U.S.). 1-866-820-1357.