Aug 15, 2001
First Patients Treated with Guidant's Next Generation Coronary Stent

Latest Stent Constructed of New Material Designed to Enhance Performance

Indianapolis, Ind. and Santa Clara, Calif. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of coronary artery disease, announced today the first patients treated with the company's next generation coronary stent, the investigational MULTI-LINK VISION(tm) Coronary Stent System. Designed to treat atherosclerosis - the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries over time - the MULTI-LINK VISION stent is constructed of a new material, which provides technology designed to enhance the performance of Guidant's coronary stent systems.

"As the leader in coronary stents, Guidant is consistently researching new design options to improve performance from one stent to the next," said John M. Capek, Ph.D., president, Vascular Intervention, Guidant Corporation. "The MULTI-LINK VISION is the latest in a series of products in clinical evaluation for treating both coronary and peripheral conditions."

Guidant is currently studying several new methods of treating heart disease, including drug coated stents through its European ACTION trial and intravascular radiotherapy trials using the company's GALILEO(tm) Intravascular Radiotherapy System. The company is also investigating potential therapies for carotid artery disease and participating in clinical studies that involve the ACCULINK(tm) Carotid Stent System and ACCUNET(tm) Embolic Protection System. In addition, Guidant is involved in numerous clinical studies evaluating stents as potential treatment alternatives for peripheral vascular and neurovascular disease. Earlier this year, the company initiated a European study evaluating its next-generation CONTAK(tm) RENEWAL(tm) CRT-D for treating patients with heart failure.

"Guidant is involved in a broad range of clinical studies focused on several large cardiac and vascular markets with the potential for future growth," said Ronald W. Dollens, Guidant president and CEO. "We are committed to developing new treatments in major areas of cardiac and vascular care and look forward to evaluating their performance in these important clinical trials."

First Implants of Coronary Stent Constructed of New Material

David Cox, M.D., of Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., implanted the first patient with the MULTI-LINK VISION stent; subsequent patients were enrolled at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. These patients became the first to be enrolled in Guidant's MULTI-LINK VISION Registry, a worldwide clinical study designed to provide the data that will support regulatory agency approvals of Guidant's sixth generation broad use coronary stent system.

The majority of all coronary stents - including Guidant's market leading line of MULTI-LINK(tm) Coronary Stent Systems - are constructed of stainless steel. Guidant's MULTI-LINK VISION stent, currently an investigational device, is constructed from a cobalt chromium alloy, a material that has been in clinical use for both cardiac and orthopedic applications since 1969. The properties of the cobalt chromium alloy enable the stent to be thinner than stainless steel stents, thereby allowing this stent system to be designed for optimal radial strength, deliverability and visibility.

"The MULTI-LINK VISION's performance is impressive," said Dean Kereiakes, M.D., of Christ Hospital who, along with Cox, will serve as co-principal investigators for Guidant's MULTI-LINK VISION Registry.

Cox said, "The MULTI-LINK VISION stent successfully incorporates key attributes such as flexibility, scaffolding, radiopacity (visibility) and deliverability into one system. This stent's combination of flexibility and a low profile system will allow physicians to treat even more challenging cases."

About the MULTI-LINK VISION Coronary Stent System

The MULTI-LINK VISION stent is based on Guidant's MULTI-LINK stent platform, and incorporates new design features, including:

 

  • Thinner stent struts designed for optimal coverage of coronary blockages. The MULTI-LINK VISION stent is thinner than Guidant's currently marketed stents, which means that less metal is placed in the patient's artery. In addition, the cobalt chromium alloy has increased radiopacity compared to similar thickness 316L stainless steel, which means it is more easily viewed in the patient's body through physicians' imaging equipment. This allows the stent to be thinner than stainless steel stents yet still providing the same radiopacity, a feature physicians rely upon to accurately place the stent at the site of the coronary blockage.

 

  • The cobalt chromium alloy is a strong material that allows the MULTI-LINK VISION to achieve optimal radial strength with thin stent struts to prop open a previously blocked coronary artery.

 

  • Lower profile system designed for improved stent deliverability. Since the stent struts are thin, the MULTI-LINK VISION stent is designed to be flexible and easy to deliver to coronary blockages. The MULTI-LINK VISION stent is mounted on a new delivery system that, when combined with the stent's thin struts, allows for a lower profile system designed to help physicians access coronary blockages.

 

Guidant Corporation pioneers lifesaving technology, giving an opportunity for better life today to 7 million cardiac and vascular patients worldwide. The company, driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture of 10,000 employees, develops, manufactures and markets a broad array of products and services that enable less invasive care for some of life's most threatening medical conditions.

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