WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- An independent analysis of a clinical trial comparing the cost-effectiveness of the CYPHER(R) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent vs. bypass surgery suggests that treatment with the CYPHER(R) Stent offers a potential cost-savings over bypass surgery. The findings from the Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study (ARTS) I and II were presented today at the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT 2005) Conference.
Treatment of multi-vessel coronary artery disease with the CYPHER(R) Stent was found to be substantially more cost-effective than bypass surgery both during initial hospitalization and at the one-year follow-up.
According to David J. Cohen, M.D., M.Sc., Associate Director of Interventional Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and Director of Cardiovascular Outcomes Research, Harvard Clinical Research Institute, who presented the results, “These findings provide additional evidence on the benefit of drug-eluting stents in treating complex patient cases that would have been directed to surgery,” Dr. Cohen said. “Furthermore, the analysis shows that the economic benefit of the CYPHER(R) Stent technology is as significant as the clinical benefit we see in these challenging patient cases.”
To account for baseline differences, both costs and event rates from ARTS-II were adjusted to reflect the number of a patient’s diseased vessels and whether or not the patient had diabetes. Savings related to the avoidance of death, heart attack, revascularization and stroke were examined.
Initial hospitalization costs, accounting for physician fees, room and ancillary charges, and repeat procedures, were $7,700 less (29 percent) for CYPHER(R) Stent than for CABG, at $26,419 and $34,119 respectively.
Total one-year costs, when adjusted for patient differences in extent of coronary artery disease and diabetes, were $6,487 less (21 percent) for CYPHER(R) Stent than for CABG, at $30,388 and $36,875 respectively.
ARTS II is a single arm, randomized multi-center trial of 607 patients in 19 countries. The study sample was drawn from the ARTS-I randomized trial (1997-1998) and the ARTS-II registry (2003). Study criteria included patients with multivessel disease who required treatment of at least two major coronary arteries and who had stenoses that would be receptive to stenting.
About the CYPHER(R) Stent
The CYPHER(R) Stent has been chosen by cardiologists worldwide to treat more than 1.5 million patients with coronary artery disease. It is supported by a robust clinical trial program that includes more than 40 studies, inclusive of independent clinical trials, that examine the performance of the stent in vessels of varying complexity. Developed and manufactured by Cordis Corporation, the CYPHER(R) Stent is currently available in more than 80 countries and has the longest-term clinical follow-up of any drug-eluting stent. The CYPHER SELECT(TM) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent, which is the first next generation drug-eluting stent, was launched in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada in 2003. More information about the CYPHER(R) Stent can be found at www.cypherusa.com.
About The 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
CONTACT: Terri Mueller of Cordis Corporation, +1-786-313-8687, or Cell,+1-305-903-9980, tmueller@crdus.jnj.com; or Todd Ringler of Edelman,+1-617-872-1235, todd.ringler@edelman.com, for Cordis Corporation
Web site: http://www.cypherusa.com/
