Feb 22, 2002
Guidant Comments on the Status of its ACTION Drug Eluting Stent Trial

Indianapolis, Ind. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a global leader in cardiac and vascular technology, today issued the following statement on the status of its international ACTION clinical trial evaluating its drug eluting stent system utilizing Actinomycin D. The company is issuing this statement in response to speculation on the trial based on anecdotal data.

Guidant is now in the six-month follow-up phase of the ACTION trial, having completed enrollment in November. Thirty-day follow-up has revealed no safety concerns. The results of the trial are blinded and the data is currently being collected for evaluation. Consequently, the company will not comment on anecdotal data or speculation relating to the trial.

Guidant is looking forward to its first opportunity to report on the full 360 patient ACTION data set at the Paris Course (cardiology medical conference) in late May.

The ACTION Trial is evaluating Guidant's internal drug eluting stent program utilizing Actinomycin-D in patients with de novo lesions in native coronary arteries. The trial enrolled the 360 patients at 28 centers primarily in Europe.

Guidant is advancing multiple drug eluting stent programs and is well on its way toward providing customers with the broadest and deepest drug eluting stent product line in the industry, the company stated.

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.