Apr 29, 2002
Clinsights Inc. Launches the "Drug Eluting Stent Center" on TCTMD

New York, NY, and Santa Clara, CA - Clinsights Inc. today announced the launch of the Drug Eluting Stent Center (DESC) on TCTMD - the premier online community for interventional cardiologists and endovascular physicians. The DESC is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Guidant Corporation.

The Drug Eluting Stent Center is a centralized repository of clinical and scientific content within TCTMD. The material featured in the DESC has been gathered from a variety of sources - including physicians, nurses, scientists, industry professionals and manufacturers.

"Drug eluting stents have generated intense interest within the interventional cardiology community," states Gary Mintz, M.D., TCTMD's medical director. "As the leading educational website in interventional cardiology, TCTMD intends to provide its subscribers with current, comprehensive information from a number of different perspectives."

According to Bunny Ellerin, executive vice president of Clinsights Inc., the DESC is well positioned to become an important resource on this topic. "Drug eluting stents represent a scientific breakthrough in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. We anticipate that the Drug Eluting Stent Center will be used by all types of physicians as well as industry executives, financial analysts, and members of the media to stay abreast of new developments in this rapidly evolving technology."

Guidant Corporation provided an unrestricted educational grant to fund the development and ongoing maintenance of the Drug Eluting Stent Center. "We commend Guidant for their commitment to this important project at the concept stage. We were able to launch very quickly thanks to their support," states Ms. Ellerin.

"Guidant is committed to developing the drug eluting stent market, and the education of physicians about the promise of drug eluting stent therapy is an important part of that initiative," said John M. Capek, Ph.D., president, Vascular Intervention, Guidant Corporation. "Guidant's education efforts, broad product development program, and comprehensive clinical trial strategy are all a part of the company's goal of bringing the best possible treatments for coronary artery disease to patients."

The Drug Eluting Stent Center can be accessed through the TCTMD website, or via www.drugelutingstentcenter.com.

About Clinsights, Inc.

Clinsights offers targeted marketing services for medical device and related pharmaceutical companies in promoting new and existing medical technologies in today's data-driven environment. Clinsights offers a continuum of valuable post-market services to companies with a presence in interventional cardiology, endovascular therapies and orthopedics.

About Guidant Corporation

Guidant Corporation pioneers lifesaving technology, giving an opportunity for better life today to millions of cardiac and vascular patients worldwide. The company, driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture of more than 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.

About Drug Eluting Stents

In the United States, more than 700,000 people per year undergo stent implantation procedures to clear obstructions in the coronary arteries. In approximately 20% of these cases the stent that was implanted during angioplasty develops scar tissue around it, re-blocking the artery. This condition is called restenosis. Drug eluting stents have the potential to address the restenosis problem by giving off, or "eluting" drugs to the site of the blockage, aimed at preventing the restenosis from occurring and possibly eliminating the need for additional procedures at the blockage site.