Medtronic ($MDT) is trumpeting positive results from a clinical trial of one of its drug-eluting stents, a boon for the company as it competes in a crowded market.
The data from the independent BIO-RESORT study showed that the company’s Resolute Integrity drug-eluting stent (DP-DES) performed as well as a biodegradable polymer stent in treating patients with coronary artery disease. The results were presented recently at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Annual Meeting and published in The Lancet.
Medtronic’s Resolute stent helped cut down on serious cardiovascular incidents such as target vessel failure and stent thrombosis over one year, the company said in a statement.
“As in our previous randomized study--the DUTCH PEERS trial--patients treated with the Resolute Integrity stent showed low and favorable one-year clinical event rates. The stent was an excellent challenge for the two novel very-thin strut biodegradable polymer drug eluting stents to compare with, and the results showed no significant difference in the 12-month incidence of the composite primary endpoint,” Clemens von Birgelen, lead investigator on the trial, said in a statement. “The long-term results of the BIO-RESORT trial will be of great interest, too."
Medtronic is counting on long-term study results to deliver. The Dublin-based company has already shown that its stent helps reduce stent thrombosis in some patients during a 5-year period. But it’s still working on developing the device’s safety profile compared to a biodegradable stent.
If all goes to plan, the study could give Medtronic a leg up on some serious competition. Boston Scientific ($BSX) and Abbott ($ABT) are hard at work on their own drug-eluting stents, so promising study data could help set the devicemaker apart from the pack.
“The findings of the BIO-RESORT trial reinforce the optimal design and proven, long-term performance of Resolute Integrity, which continues to meet both the current and future needs of our customers even when compared to the benefits of biodegradable technology,” Martin Rothman, vice president of medical affairs for Medtronic’s Coronary and Structural Heart division, said in a statement.