
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) said that its Resolute drug-eluting stent could level the playing field for cardiac patients suffering from diabetes in a study of nearly 1,000 patients.
The results of the pooled clinical trial are important because diabetic patients with heart disease generally have an increased risk of heart attack or other major cardiovascular event, and they’re targets for repeat procedures, according to Sigmund Silber of the Heart Catheterization Centre in Munich, Germany.
Silber presented the results at EuroPCR conference in Paris this week.
According to the study, diabetic patients treated with the Resolute stent experienced outcomes that were close to those of non-diabetic patients.
At last year’s EuroPCR the Medtronic announced that the Resolute stent* matched a market-leading rival in a head-to-head study. The company has been touting successful trials of the Resolute stents ever since, and the company called it one of the main revenue-growers in December.
Biotronik reports positive 6-month results for DREAMS device
German cardiac device maker Biotronik presented positive six-month results for its drug-eluting absorbable metal scaffold, or DREAMS. In contrast to existing stents, this device degrades over time and leaves nothing behind but a healed vessel.
Presenter Michael Haude of Lukas Hospital in Neuss, Germany noted that the DREAMS device showed improvement over a bare version of the absorbable scaffold.
Biotronik was recently named in a Citi analysis suggesting the company is gaining ground on the “Big Three” medical device manufacturers in the cardiac rhythm management market. The company is also in the spotlight in Nevada after a New York Times article raised questions about whether cardiologists at a Las Vegas hospital had improperly accepted consulting fees from Biotronik.
Boston Scientific’s Watchman shows promise in clinical study
Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE:BSX) presented favorable preliminary findings for its Watchman device, which is designed to close the left atrial appendage in patients with atrial fibrillation who are at risk for ischemic stroke.
The device could provide an alternative to life-long anticoagulant dependency.
In the study, 24 patients were implanted with the Watchman device and given anti-platelet drugs for the next three months. At a four-month follow up, there were no dislodgement issues and just one instance of a blood clot which was treated with an anticoagulant.
Boston Scientific added the Watchman system to its cardiovascular portfiolio in March with the $100 million dollar acquisition of Plymouth, Minn.-based Atritech Inc.
*Correction, May 19, 2011: This article originally referred to the Resolute stent as part of Medtronic’s Endurant line. Return to the corrected sentence.