MIAMI, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The upcoming Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) Conference, to take place in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 22 through 27, will serve as backdrop for the introduction of an independent, comprehensive data analysis assessing the long-term safety of the CYPHER(R) Stent.
On Tuesday, Oct. 24, the independent Harvard Clinical Research Institute will present re-adjudicated data from the four long-term clinical trials for the CYPHER(R) Stent -- SIRIUS, E-SIRIUS, C-SIRIUS and RAVEL -- based on new standardized definitions of thrombosis that were created by the Academic Research Consortium (ARC), a body of clinical researchers representing global regulatory authorities, leading interventional cardiology centers and stent manufacturers. This analysis will provide important insights into the thrombosis rates of the CYPHER(R) Stent and bare-metal stents out to four years. Presented by Donald E. Cutlip, M.D., Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer, Harvard Clinical Research Institute, the analysis will be included in the Hotline Session to be held from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Savings Time) in the Coronary Theater, Lower Level, at the Washington Convention Center.
"The science to be presented at this year's conference will contribute significantly to the broad body of clinical data shedding light into the safety and efficacy of breakthrough interventional therapies like the CYPHER(R) Stent," said Dennis Donohoe, M.D., Vice President, Worldwide Regulatory and Clinical Affairs, Cordis Corporation.
In addition, six-month clinical and angiographic results from the LONG- DES-II Trial, a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial comparing the safety and efficacy of the CYPHER(R) Stent versus the Taxus Stent in long coronary lesions, will also be presented by Seung-Jung Park, M.D., PhD, University of Ulsan, Korea, on Monday, Oct. 23 at 11:20 a.m. (EDT) in the Main Arena.
These studies will add to the robust body of clinical data for Cordis' medical devices, including the CYPHER(R) Stent. To date, more than 20 Cordis-sponsored abstracts and many more independent studies related to Cordis devices have been submitted and accepted for presentation at this congress.
Key clinical findings will be highlighted during an analyst meeting scheduled for Oct. 24 at 7:30 a.m. (EDT). A press release about the meeting can be found in the Investor Relations section of www.jnj.com.
Innovation
During the congress, Cordis will also feature new products for the treatment of vascular diseases. It will showcase the PRECISE(R) Nitinol Stent and ANGIOGUARD(R) Emboli Capture Guidewire, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat carotid artery disease. The PRECISE(R) Stent and ANGIOGUARD(R) Guidewire is the only carotid system backed by a large, randomized clinical trial -- the SAPPHIRE Study -- to support the benefits of carotid artery stenting in patients who are ineligible, or considered high-risk, for carotid endarterectomy.
Cordis will also highlight its STEER-IT(TM) Deflecting Tip Guidewire. Recently made available in Europe, the United States and Canada, it is the first guidewire to offer a tip that can be manipulated to bend in two directions. The STEER-IT(TM) Guidewire is specially designed to help physicians treat hard-to-reach blockages, including those in tortuous vessels, previously deployed stents or side branches of an artery.
To its customers outside the United States and Japan, Cordis will be demonstrating the CYPHER SELECT(TM) Plus Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent, the first third-generation drug-eluting stent, now available in many markets around the world. In addition to its flexible stent design and short tip, the CYPHER SELECT(TM) Plus Stent Delivery System features the CYPH2ONIC(TM) Hydrophilic Coating Technology. This combination has been designed to facilitate the delivery of the stent when the lesion is located in a tortuous blood vessel.
Demonstrations of these and other technologies will be available at Booth 1236.
Education
Cordis will also provide continuing education opportunities for physicians at the conference. It is sponsoring a number of satellite symposia under the name of its recently formed Cordis Cardiac & Vascular Institute(SM), designed to provide physicians and other health care providers with educational and clinical resources to help advance the understanding and treatment of a broad range of cardiac and vascular conditions, including coronary artery disease and stroke.
During these symposia, renowned physicians will be discussing some of the topics of the day in the area of vascular disease. These symposia are:
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 7-8 a.m. "Advanced Wire Techniques with the New STEER-IT(TM) Deflecting Tip Guidewire" Tuesday, Oct. 24, 7-10 p.m. "Drug-eluting Stents: Where We Are Now and Where We Are Going" Wednesday, Oct. 25, 7-8 a.m. "Confronting the Controversies: The Hottest Topics in Drug-eluting Stents" Thursday, Oct. 26, 7-8 a.m. "Fine-tuning Your Cardiovascular Program" Thursday, Oct. 26, 7-8 a.m. "Peripheral Chronic Total Occlusions: Strategies for Success in the Superficial Femoral Artery"
For more information or to register online for one or more of the symposia, TCT attendees may visit: http://www.tct2006.com.
About the CYPHER(R) Stent
More than 2 million worldwide patients with coronary artery disease have been treated with the CYPHER(R) Stent. The safety and efficacy of the device is supported by a robust clinical trial program that includes more than 60 studies, inclusive of independent clinical trials, that examine the performance of the CYPHER(R) Stent in a broad range of patients.
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 first next-generation drug- eluting stent, the CYPHER SELECT(TM) Stent, was launched in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada in 2003. The CYPHER SELECT(TM) Plus Stent, the first third-generation drug-eluting stent, received the CE mark in June 2006 and is now available in many markets outside the United States.
About Cordis Corporation
Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing interventional vascular technology. Through the company's innovation, research and development, physicians worldwide are better able to treat the millions of patients who suffer from vascular disease. More information about Cordis Corporation can be found at www.cordis.com.
* 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.
Cordis CorporationCONTACT: Mariela Melendez of Cordis Corporation, +1-786-313-2776, Cell -+1-786-218-4084, MMelen10@crdus.jnj.com; Todd Ringler of Edelman,+1-781-599- 7542, Cell - +1-617-872-1235, Todd.Ringler@edelman.com, forCordis Corporation
