News Release

Results of world's first fully bioabsorable coronary artery stent clinical trial

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Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

Positive results from ABSORB, the world’s first clinical trial evaluating the overall safety and performance of a fully bioabsorbable drug-eluting stent platform for the treatment of coronary artery disease, were presented on Saturday at the 56th Annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session in New Orleans. Six-month results from the first 30 patients in Abbott’s ABSORB trial demonstrated no stent thrombosis (the formation of a blood clot) and a low (3.3 percent) rate of Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), such as heart attack or repeat intervention.

The encouraging results from the first 30 patients of ABSORB suggest that drug eluting bioabsorbable stent technologies may be a promising future therapy option for physicians treating patients with heart disease.

As with a metallic stent, the bioabsorbable stent is designed to restore blood flow by propping the vessel open, providing support until the blood vessel heals. Unlike a metallic stent, a bioabsorbable stent is designed to be slowly metabolized by the body and completely absorbed over time.

Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease or heart disease, is the number one killer in America, affecting more than 13 million Americans, and claiming 900,000 lives each year.

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