NATICK, Mass. and PARIS, May 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced 12-month results from its PLATINUM Small Vessel study, demonstrating excellent safety and effectiveness outcomes for the 2.25 mm PROMUS Element™ Everolimus-Eluting Platinum Chromium Stent System in treating small vessel coronary disease.  The study is a global, prospective, single-arm, subtrial of the PLATINUM clinical program.  It compares the PROMUS Element Stent (2.25 mm) in 94 patients with small vessels (greater than or equal to 2.25 to less than 2.50 mm reference vessel diameter and less than or equal to 28 mm lesion length) to a pre-specified performance goal based on results from patients treated with the TAXUS® Express® Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent.

Analysis of the data was presented at the annual EuroPCR Scientific Program in Paris by Ian T. Meredith, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Professor of Cardiology and Medicine, Monash University, and Executive Director of Monash Cardiovascular Research Center, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, and Co-Principal Investigator for the PLATINUM clinical program.

"The PLATINUM Small Vessel data demonstrate exceptionally low rates of revascularization, while reporting no myocardial infarction or stent thrombosis at one year in patients treated with the 2.25 mm PROMUS Element Stent," said Professor Meredith.  "These results are impressive, especially considering the small vessel diameter in this patient population."

The PLATINUM Small Vessel study met its primary endpoint of target lesion failure (TLF) at 12 months with a rate of 2.4 percent for the 2.25 mm PROMUS Element Stent in the per protocol population compared to a pre-specified performance goal of 21.1 percent (p<0.001) based on historical outcomes for the 2.25 mm TAXUS Express Stent.  Components of TLF in the per protocol population included cardiac death related to the target vessel (2.4 percent), myocardial infarction related to the target vessel (MI, 0.0 percent) and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR, 0.0 percent).  Clinical outcome rates at 12 months in the intent-to-treat population were also low for cardiac death (3.3 percent), MI (0.0 percent), TLR (2.2 percent) and ARC definite/probable stent thrombosis (0.0 percent).

"The PLATINUM Small Vessel data build on the positive outcomes from the PLATINUM Workhorse and QCA studies, confirming the successful transfer of favorable outcomes associated with everolimus to the novel platinum chromium (PtCr) stent design," said Keith D. Dawkins, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Boston Scientific's Cardiology, Rhythm and Vascular Group.  "The results demonstrate a highly effective PtCr small vessel stent platform with an excellent safety profile."

"Boston Scientific has led development of drug-eluting stents for small vessels, which now represent approximately 10 percent of coronary stenting procedures," said Hank Kucheman, Executive Vice President and Group President, Cardiology, Rhythm and Vascular for Boston Scientific.  "This evaluation of the 2.25 mm PROMUS Element Stent reconfirms our commitment to providing a complete range of solutions and sizes for physicians and their patients."

The PLATINUM clinical program is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the PROMUS Element Stent in five multi-center studies totaling more than 1,800 patients, including a global, randomized, pivotal controlled trial in workhorse lesions, and single-arm studies evaluating small vessels, long lesions, pharmacokinetics, and quantitative coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound data.  

The PROMUS Element Stent System received CE Mark approval and was launched in Europe and other international markets in 2009.  It features an innovative PtCr alloy and new stent design to offer greater radial strength, exceptional deliverability and high visibility.  The thin-strut stent is designed for improved conformability, minimal recoil and uniform lesion coverage and drug distribution.  The advanced low-profile delivery system, coupled with the radiopacity, facilitates precise delivery of the stent across challenging lesions.

The Company anticipates FDA approval for the PROMUS Element Stent, including the 2.25 mm PROMUS Element Stent, in mid 2012.  In the U.S., it is an investigational device, limited by applicable law to investigational use and not available for sale.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties.  For more information, please visit: www.bostonscientific.com.  

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SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation