Covidien unveils clinical data on plaque excision

Covidien has released new clinical data on plaque excision for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

The firm published details of the six-month trial, which is the largest global post-market peripheral arterial disease investigation ever undertaken.

Some 800 patients were enrolled in the research programme, which spanned 47 centres in the US and Europe.

Commenting on the results of the trial, Mark Turco, chief medical officer of vascular therapies at Covidien, said they were particularly promising when it came to the future of diabetic patient treatment.

"It's exciting to be able to demonstrate equivalent findings in a complex patient population of diabetic patients when compared to non-diabetics," he claimed.

Peripheral arterial disease is one of the most common vascular conditions and results from the thinning of leg arteries thanks to a build-up of plaque. Roughly ten million people in the US suffer from the condition.

Covidien recently announced a 12.5 percent increase in its quarterly dividend following a strong performance in the first half of 2011.