Feb 16, 2001
Guidant Launches New Coronary Stent System in Japan

Company Also Increases Direct Sales Organization to Support New Product Introductions

Indianapolis, Ind. and Santa Clara, Calif. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of coronary artery disease, today launched its MULTI-LINK PLUS(tm) Coronary Stent System in Japan.

Coronary stents are tiny metal tubes that are used to prop open coronary arteries that have been blocked due to atherosclerosis. If left untreated, blockages in coronary arteries can lead to heart attack or death.

Commenting on the effect that the full market launch of the MULTI-LINK PLUS is expected to have on Guidant's business in Japan, Dana G. Mead, Jr., president of Guidant Japan, Asia Pacific operations said, "This important product launch will add to the considerable momentum Guidant's Vascular Intervention business is experiencing in Japan, which has been fuelled by the recent launch of a full line of balloon dilatation catheters led by the CrossSail(tm) Coronary Dilatation Catheter. In order to maximize the impact of these key product launches, we have increased our direct sales organization in Japan by over 25 percent."

Japan is the second largest coronary dilatation catheter and coronary stent market in the world.

Dr. Shigeru Saito of Shonan Kamakura Hospital said, "We have always had confidence in the ACS MULTI-LINK Stent. With the launch of this new delivery system, we are now able to treat a broader group of our patients with the most clinically-proven stent."

The MULTI-LINK PLUS System is designed to offer physicians enhanced deliverability, deployment flexibility and stent security. It features a delivery system profile that is over 14 percent smaller than its predecessor, the ACS MULTI-LINK® Coronary Stent System. The ACS MULTI-LINK Stent platform utilizes a 6-crest pattern featuring a 3-3-3 laser cut corrugated ring design from a stainless steal hypotube with no welding points. This coronary stent system features several unique Guidant-developed technologies that include:

  • S.T.E.P.(tm) (Short Transitional Edge Protection) technology, which provides an optimal configuration of stent length and working balloon to minimize the amount of vessel dilated outside of the stent. This technology also enables uniform stent expansion during deployment and implantation.

 

  • A unique tri-fold balloon design that allows the balloon to be folded into three uniform lobes that are then wrapped around the catheter in a spiral manner. This technology results in a low profile balloon and contributes to predictable stent deployment.

 

  • A lubricious hydrophilic coating that covers the delivery system's catheter tip, balloon tapers and distal shaft to reduce friction and allows for easy negotiation through the coronary anatomy.

 

  • XCELON® balloon material, which combines high-pressure inflation capability with flexibility to enable better access to lesions.

 

"Since its Japanese market release in 1997, the ACS MULTI-LINK Stent has been the most implanted stent in Japan due its unsurpassed long-term clinical results," added Mead. "The MULTI-LINK PLUS System effectively combines Guidant's state of the art delivery technology with this trusted implant."

A global leader in the medical technology industry, Guidant Corporation provides innovative, minimally invasive and cost-effective products and services for the treatment of cardiovascular and vascular disease.

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