Jan 24, 2002
Guidant Announces U.S. Launch of Endovascular System for Patients with Advanced Vascular Disease

Unique System Specially Designed to Allow Less Invasive Procedure for Significantly More Patients

Indianapolis, Ind. and Menlo Park, Calif. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, today announced that its ANCURE® Aortoiliac ENDOGRAFT® System has received FDA approval and is now available in the United States. The graft provides a less-invasive option for patients previously ineligible for treatment with endovascular graft systems due to advanced vascular disease in the iliac arteries. The ANCURE Aortoiliac System, currently available in Europe, is the first of its kind to be launched in the United States.

"For the first time, physicians in the United States have a new option for treating abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients who previously were unable to benefit from this less invasive procedure due to advanced iliac disease," said Beverly Huss, president, Endovascular Solutions, Guidant Corporation. "We are pleased that the ANCURE Aortoiliac ENDOGRAFT System will make this treatment available to many more patients."

Developed for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - a bulge caused by the weakening of the walls of the aorta, the largest artery in the body - the ANCURE Aortoiliac ENDOGRAFT System is a polyester graft or tube that is attached to the aorta with tiny metal hooks. It is inserted through an incision in the groin and is positioned in the aorta, extending into the iliac artery of the patient's pelvis. To complete the procedure, a separate small graft is surgically put in place to send blood from the healthier femoral artery to the more diseased artery in the other, blocked leg. Once in place, the AAA graft reinforces the walls of the aorta, often shrinking the bulge and preventing the aneurysm from bursting.

Each year, approximately 15,000 people die from AAA in the United States alone, making the disease the 13th leading cause of death. The unpredictability of the condition, its prevalence in the population and the danger that it might rupture and cause death make AAA a very serious problem.

The traditional treatment for AAA is an invasive surgical procedure that requires a deep incision from the breastbone to the pubic bone through the abdominal cavity. Because the ANCURE Aortoiliac Graft can be inserted through incisions in the groin, patients generally spend less time in the hospital and recover more quickly than after a traditional procedure. With the introduction of the ANCURE Aortoiliac System, it is believed that significantly more patients will be eligible for an endovascular procedure.

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.