Abbott: Xience V superior to Taxus stent

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., May 22 (UPI) -- U.S. firm Abbott said Tuesday data from a three-year study show its Xience drug-eluting stent reduced adverse cardiac events better than the Taxus stent.

The company said three-year data from the SPIRIT FIRST clinical trials -- presented this week at a meeting in Barcelona, Spain -- showed no late stent thrombosis or additional major adverse events

Abbott also said a combined analysis of data from 1,300 patients in the SPIRIT II and SPIRIT III studies at nine months confirmed the superiority of Abbott's everolimus-eluting stent over Boston Scientific's Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stent, which is already approved in the United States, with rates of restenosis -- or the reclosing of a treated artery -- and major adverse cardiac events.

For example, the analysis showed a 4 percent rate of events like heart attack in patients implanted with the Xience stent, compared to 8 percent in patients getting the Taxus stent.

The data also showed fewer retreatments with the Xience V-treated patients due to ischemia, or lack of blood supply; 2.4 percent of Xience V patients, compared to 5.1 percent of patients receiving the Taxus stent.

Xience V was launched in Europe and Asia Pacific in 2006, Abbott said, with U.S. approval expected in 2008.