Medtronic Launches Endeavor(R) Sprintdrug-Eluting Stent System On Rapid Exchange In United States

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 14 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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Building on its reputation for excellence in the deliverability of its angioplasty products, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today the U.S. market launch of the Endeavor Sprint drug eluting stent (DES) on a rapid exchange (RX) delivery system.

Using the popular Sprinter ™ balloon catheter technology, the Endeavor Sprint system puts the highly deliverable Endeavor DES on an enhanced delivery platform, making Medtronic's flagship DES even easier for physicians to deliver to the site of coronary blockages. The Endeavor Sprint system incorporates a new tip design for a low profile, a new balloon material and an enhanced shaft design which together greatly improve the device's deliverability.

"The Endeavor Sprint system takes deliverability to a new level," said Prof. Ian Meredith of Monash Medical Centre in Australia. "It features a balloon catheter designed specifically for the stent it delivers. Combining it with RX, the Endeavor Sprint system further enhances the deliverability of the Endeavor DES, which already had high marks on this aspect of procedural success - even in challenging lesions."

"Deliverability is important," said Dr. Jeffrey Popma of Caritas Christi Health Care System in Boston, "but the Endeavor stent also offers the assurance of long term safety and durable efficacy. It's the combination of all three attributes that will make the Endeavor Sprint DES system such a welcome addition for physicians to use in treating patients with coronary artery disease."

The robust ENDEAVOR clinical program has demonstrated that the Endeavor stent is associated with exceptionally low rates of stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction and cardiac death, as well as low and comparable rates of clinically driven target lesion revascularization, out to as long as five years of patient follow up. Representing various world geographies and patient subsets, the program has enrolled more than 10,000 subjects to date and will ultimately enroll more than 20,000 subjects in a combination of randomized controlled and single arm clinical trials.

"The Endeavor Sprint drug eluting stent system is the latest innovation to come out of our robust product pipeline in CardioVascular," said Sean Salmon, vice president and general manager of the Coronary and Peripheral Vascular business at Medtronic. "It represents the strong and ongoing commitment we have to the field of interventional cardiovascular therapeutics. That commitment will yield many more collaborative innovations in the future that fulfill the unmet medical needs of patients worldwide."

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 25, 2008. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Medtronic