Cordis Corporation Release: Elderly Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Benefit From Drug-Eluting Stents

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Elderly patients treated with the CYPHER(R) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent should expect the same benefit in repeat coronary procedures as seen with younger patients, according to a report presented today at the 2004 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. The data were taken from the e-CYPHER(SM) Registry which was designed to better understand the safety and clinical benefits of the CYPHER(R) Stent in treating coronary artery disease in difficult-to-treat patient groups.

The octogenarian group, comprised of 505 patients aged 80 years or older, had a low target lesion revascularization (TLR) rate, which was similar to the rate in the patient group under the age of 80 (0.8 percent vs. 1.3 percent). As a result, another key endpoint of the analysis, Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), which includes heart attacks, TLR and death, was also low for the elderly population (6.3%). Importantly, the late stent thrombosis rate was not significantly higher for the elderly patients (0.2% vs 0.14%).

"We are very encouraged with the overall results of the study, which provide further clinical support for the CYPHER(R) Stent across broad patient groups," said Dennis Donohoe, M.D., vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs, Cordis Corporation.

Among the elderly group treated with the CYPHER(R) Stent in the study, 39.5 percent were female, 44.8 percent had unstable angina (chest pain), 15.5 percent had restenotic lesions and 35.6 percent had three-vessel disease.

The analysis was based on six-month follow-up data from the international e-CYPHER(SM) registry, which tracks use of the CYPHER(R) Stent in more than 15,000 patients worldwide. The e-CYPHER(SM) Registry has currently collected baseline, procedure and follow-up information from 15,000 patients treated in 281 centers.

About the CYPHER(R) Stent

Developed and manufactured by Cordis Corporation, the CYPHER(R) Stent is currently available in more than 80 countries and has been used by doctors to treat more than 900,000 patients worldwide. With more than 40 clinical trials conducted or in progress worldwide, the CYPHER Stent remains the most studied drug-eluting stent today with the largest body of clinical evidence demonstrating the long-term safety and efficacy of its drug and polymer. In clinical trials, the CYPHER Stent has been shown to reduce reblockage in the arteries by more than 90 percent over a conventional bare metal stent.

About Cordis Corporation

For more than 40 years, Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, has pioneered less invasive treatments for vascular disease. Technological innovation and a deep understanding of the medical marketplace and the needs of patients have made Cordis the world's leading developer and manufacturer of breakthrough products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging, and electrophysiology. Today, more than 7,000 Cordis employees worldwide share a strong commitment to continue the Company's groundbreaking work in the fight against vascular disease.

* Cordis Corporation has entered into an exclusive worldwide license with Wyeth for the localized delivery of sirolimus in certain fields of use, including delivery via vascular stenting. Sirolimus, the active drug released for the stent, is marketed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, under the name Rapamune(R). Rapamune is a trademark of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

CONTACT: Terri Mueller, Cordis Corporation, +1-786-313-8687, or cell,+1-305-903-9980; or Todd Ringler, Edelman, +1-212-704-4572, or cell,+1-617-872-1235, for Cordis Corporation

Web site: http://www.cordis.com/