Boston Scientific Plans Taxus Element FDA Submission In Next Three Months
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Boston Scientific plans to submit a PMA for its third-generation platinum-chromium Taxus Element stent to FDA by June, relying on pivotal trial data reported March 15 at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta
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TCT In Brief
DES in the leg: Cook Medical's Zilver PTX is the first drug-eluting stent to show clear improvements in treating peripheral artery disease over standard angioplasty and provisional bare-metal stenting in a randomized trial. The paclitaxel-eluting, polymer-free stent met its safety and effectiveness endpoints in Cook's 479-patient pivotal study presented Sept. 24 at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in Washington, D.C. Patients with femoropopliteal artery disease randomized to Zilver PTX had an event-free-survival rate (safety) of 90.4% compared to 82.6% in patients randomized to standard angioplasty. On effectiveness, Zilver achieved an 83.1% patency rate. About half of the angioplasties in the control group were judged to be "suboptimal," requiring either a bare-metal stent or Zilver to be placed. Lesions that received "standard care," i.e. either had an "optimal" angioplasty or received a subsequent bare-metal stent, achieved a 67% patency rate. Lesions in the suboptimal group that ultimately received Zilver achieved an 89.9% patency rate compared to 73% in the suboptimal bare metal stent patients. Cook sent the results to FDA this past summer as part of Zilver PTX's pending PMA submission
TCT In Brief
DES in the leg: Cook Medical's Zilver PTX is the first drug-eluting stent to show clear improvements in treating peripheral artery disease over standard angioplasty and provisional bare-metal stenting in a randomized trial. The paclitaxel-eluting, polymer-free stent met its safety and effectiveness endpoints in Cook's 479-patient pivotal study presented Sept. 24 at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in Washington, D.C. Patients with femoropopliteal artery disease randomized to Zilver PTX had an event-free-survival rate (safety) of 90.4% compared to 82.6% in patients randomized to standard angioplasty. On effectiveness, Zilver achieved an 83.1% patency rate. About half of the angioplasties in the control group were judged to be "suboptimal," requiring either a bare-metal stent or Zilver to be placed. Lesions that received "standard care," i.e. either had an "optimal" angioplasty or received a subsequent bare-metal stent, achieved a 67% patency rate. Lesions in the suboptimal group that ultimately received Zilver achieved an 89.9% patency rate compared to 73% in the suboptimal bare metal stent patients. Cook sent the results to FDA this past summer as part of Zilver PTX's pending PMA submission
Boston Scientific's Taxus Element
Third-generation paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system will launch in Europe in June following receipt of CE mark approval, announced May 12. The system incorporates a platinum chromium alloy, innovative stent design and advanced catheter delivery system, and includes a specific indication for treatment of diabetic patients, the firm notes. Boston Scientific expects U.S. approval in mid-2011 (1"The Gray Sheet" March 22, 2010)