Abbott to Present New Clinical Data on Current and Future Innovations in Interventional Cardiology at EuroPCR 2010

- Abbott's Leadership in the Vascular Device Industry is Highlighted with Four Late-Breaking Trials

- New Data on Market-Leading XIENCE V(R) Stent to Provide Valuable Insights on Drug Eluting Stent Safety

- Results on Abbott's Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold to Provide Look into Future of Coronary Artery Disease Treatment

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May 20, 2010, 08:00 ET

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced the company's schedule of key news announcements and events during the EuroPCR 2010 conference in Paris, May 25 – 28. Highlights include four late-breaking clinical trial presentations on Abbott's broad portfolio of vascular devices. The late-breaking presentations will include new data on the company's market-leading XIENCE V® Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, the revolutionary bioresorbable vascular scaffold and the first-of-its-kind MitraClip® system for minimally invasive repair of the mitral valve. The MitraClip system is currently an investigational device in the United States.

"The robust number of late-breaking data presentations for the company confirms physicians' interest in our work, and represents Abbott's continued leadership in advancing the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease through cutting-edge science and innovation," said Robert Hance, senior vice president, vascular, Abbott. "Our XIENCE V presentations will provide new insights on this device's outstanding performance and will further build upon the safety results from the SPIRIT IV and COMPARE studies. Additionally, we will present six-month late loss results on Abbott's revolutionary bioresorbable scaffold, which should provide an exciting look into the future of interventional cardiology."

Schedule of Events
Late-breaking clinical data on Abbott's products will be presented on Tuesday, May 25 as follows (all times are Central European Time; all events are at the Palais Des Congres De Paris):
	EVEREST II: Dr. Ted Feldman of NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill., will lead off the Late-Breaking Registries and Trial Updates session at 1:30 p.m. in Room 252B with the presentation of additional data from the EVEREST II randomized trial of the MitraClip system, a first-of-its-kind, catheter-based device for mitral valve repair. Primary endpoint data from EVEREST II was first presented during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference in March 2010, and the presentation at EuroPCR 2010 will provide new data on both functional mitral regurgitation and degenerative mitral regurgitation patients treated with the MitraClip system in the EVEREST II trial as well as a preview of two-year clinical follow-up results. The MitraClip system received CE Mark in March 2008. In the United States, the MitraClip device is limited by federal law to investigational use only and is not available for sale. The MitraClip system is currently under review for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
	SPIRIT V Diabetes: Dr. Eberhard Grube of Elisabeth-Krankenhaus Hospital, Essen, Germany, will present nine-month angiographic and one-year clinical data from the SPIRIT V Diabetes study at 1:54 p.m. in Room 252B. SPIRIT V Diabetes is an international randomized clinical trial looking at XIENCE V vs. the TAXUS® Liberte™ Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in approximately 300 patients with diabetes.
	XIENCE V USA: Dr. James Hermiller of St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Ind., will present one-year primary endpoint data on blood clots (stent thrombosis) and dual anti-platelet therapy usage from the XIENCE V USA trial at 2:18 p.m. in Room 252B. XIENCE V USA is a post-market, real-world, single-arm registry evaluating outcomes in more than 5,000 XIENCE V patients based in the United States with follow-up out to five years.
	ABSORB: Professor Patrick Serruys of Erasmus University Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will present six-month angiographic and clinical results from the second stage of the ABSORB trial at 5:19 p.m. in the Main Arena. This data follows the 30-day results presented by Professor Serruys at ACC 2010 on 101 patients enrolled in this second stage of the trial. ABSORB is a clinical trial evaluating Abbott's bioresorbable vascular technology, which is designed to restore blood flow to the heart by opening up a clogged vessel.

	Over time, when the vessel can remain open without the extra support, the bioresorbable scaffold is designed to be slowly metabolized by the body and eventually dissolve completely. The bioresorbable scaffold is currently in development at Abbott Vascular and not available for sale.

In addition to the highly anticipated Abbott data at EuroPCR, the company will commemorate a decade of interventional medical education by Crossroads, the Abbott Vascular Education Network, at the Abbott booth (# F11) on May 27 at 5 p.m. CET. Crossroads, which is an international medical education and knowledge initiative sponsored by Abbott, has been providing leadership in interventional medical education since 2000. Crossroads is the first medical learning program of its kind, established to advance the open exchange of information among physicians about cardiac and vascular care. At EuroPCR, Crossroads also will launch e-Link, an innovative networked community that offers an enhanced learning opportunity to healthcare professionals. Crossroads is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and also has Institutes in Tokyo and Johannesburg, South Africa.

About XIENCE V

Abbott's market-leading XIENCE V drug eluting stent is marketed in the United States, Europe, Japan and other international markets.

Everolimus, developed by Novartis Pharma AG, is a proliferation signal inhibitor, or mTOR inhibitor, licensed to Abbott by Novartis for use on its drug eluting stents. Everolimus has been shown to inhibit in-stent neointimal growth in the coronary vessels following stent implantation, due to its anti-proliferative properties.

XIENCE V is indicated for improving coronary luminal diameter in patients with symptomatic heart disease due to de novo native coronary artery lesions (lesions less than or equal to 28 mm) with reference vessel diameters of 2.5 mm to 4.25 mm. Additional information about XIENCE V, including important safety information, is available online at www.xiencev.com or www.abbottvascular.com/en_US/content/document/eIFU_XienceV.pdf.

About Abbott Vascular

Abbott Vascular is a global leader in cardiac and vascular care with market-leading products and an industry-leading pipeline. Abbott Vascular offers a comprehensive cardiac and vascular devices portfolio, including products for coronary artery disease, vessel closure, endovascular disease, and structural heart disease.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 83,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

SOURCE Abbott