Medtronic announces “positive” results for zotarolimus-eluting stent

Medtronic, the medical devices company, has reported the findings of its first “in-man” study for its Endeavour Resolute stent, designed to elute zotarolimus.

The company claims the stent is designed from a non-inflammatory polymer blend that is less likely to produce an inflammatory response in blood vessels.

Presenting at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics symposium, Professor Ian Meredith, lead study investigator of the Resolute trial, said the results show “great promise”.

He claimed that zotarolimus has displayed “strong potency” in preventing restenosis, while procedural success was “high”, even in those with long lesion lengths.

Scott Ward, president of Medtronic’s vascular business, remarked: “Patients with diabetes, diffuse and multi-vessel disease, chronic total occlusions and other challenging medical conditions still have lower than desired clinical outcomes and require better treatment options.”

“We’ve combined our proprietary new BioLinx polymer with zotarolimus to address the specific healing needs of these patients,” he added.

Mr Ward concluded by saying that the Endeavour stent could provide physicians with a new option for treating “the most challenging patients” with coronary heart disease.

Zotarolimus, also known as ABT-578, was developed by Abbott Laboratories and was used in its ZoMaxx stent.