Drug-eluting coronary stents coated in everolimus, such as Abbott Laboratories’ (NYSE:ABT) Xience V, landed a right hook against stents coated in other drugs like the paclitaxel used in Boston Scientific Corp.’s (NYSE:BSX) Taxus DES.
Everolimus-eluting stents proved better at reducing thrombosis risk without increasing the risk of target vessel revascularization or heart attack, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris last month.
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Although the research didn’t single out stents made by specific companies, it concluded that the everolimus-coated cohort cut the risk of stent thrombosis in half, reduced the risk of heart attack, as well as paring the need for follow-up procedures to restore bloodflow to the affected area, compared to stents coated with other drugs. The researchers evaluated 13 randomized trials conducted between 2007 and 2011, including more than 17,000 patients.
Abbott’s Xience V bested Boston Scientific’s Taxus in another recent study showing that it reduced the risks for death, heart attack, stent thrombosis and recurrent ischemia in nondiabetic patients, compared to Taxus. The latest study adds to a pile of Abbott releases touting Xience V’s merits over Taxus.
Luckily for BSX, it’s still the top dog in the $4.6 billion U.S. DES market, posting $1.5 billion in sales and a 33 percent market share in the U.S. in 2010; Abbott followed in second place with $1.4 billion and a 31 percent share. And Boston Scientific has its own everolimus-eluting stent, the Promus, which won FDA clearance in May.
The field of play will become less crowded as this year winds down, with coronary stent pioneer Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) ceding that market to its competitors. J&J’s Cordis Corp. subsidiary is dropping out of the coronary DES game, shutting down development of its next-generation Nevo drug-eluting stent and cutting its Cypher DES line altogether by the end of this year.