Cordis shows Cypher stent to outperform Taxus

Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company, has shown that the Cypher Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent outperforms the Taxus Stent when used in small coronary vessels.

Clinical data, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed the Cypher stent to reduce the rate of adverse cardiac events (Mace) by half compared to the Taxus stent.

Hans-Peter Stoll, director of clinical research and medical affairs said: “This randomised clinical trial, the highest form of clinical evidence, found that there were significant differences between the performance of these two products in small and often difficult to treat vessels.”

The trial showed that the Cypher stent reduced Mace by 55 per cent through a 69 per cent reduction of target lesion revascularization (TLR) compared with the Taxus Stent at two years.

When used on large and mixed coronary vessels, the difference between the Cypher stent and the Taxus stent were less defined.

In March 2007, Cordis reported the positive results of a five-year clinical study assessing the Cypher stent, with the trial achieving the primary endpoint with the Cypher showing lower rates of target vessel failure than bare metal stents.