Xtent, Inc. Licenses Coating And Drug-Eluting Technology For Its Custom Nx™ Coronary Stent System From Occam International B.V.
Menlo Park, California ― (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 24, 2004 — Xtent, Inc. and Occam International B.V., an affiliate of Biosensors International, jointly announced today that they have signed a license agreement to incorporate Occam's proprietary coating and Biolimus A9 Ô drug on Xtent’s Custom Nx Ô Coronary Stent System. Under the terms of the agreement, Occam will license certain intellectual property rights to Xtent and provide stent coating services to Xtent, and in return will receive an up-front cash payment and royalties.
The Custom Nx Coronary Stent System combines a modular stent design with an innovative delivery platform to allow cardiologists to customize the treatment of complex disease states, including long lesions, multiple lesions, and multi-vessel disease, using a single device. Market research shows that these difficult cases represent over 40% of the procedure volume and account for more than 60% of the total expenditures for coronary stents.
“Since the introduction of drug-eluting stents, our practice has evolved to significantly higher stent utilization rates,” said Prof. Eberhard Grube, M.D., Chief of Cardiology, Siegburg Heart Center, Siegburg, Germany. “This reflects our desire to optimize the treatment of patients with more challenging coronary artery disease states, particularly cases of extensive disease and long lesions. The use of Biolimus A9, a promising new anti-restenotic drug, in combination with the innovative Xtent delivery system, potentially will provide interventional cardiologists with a breakthrough treatment option for this growing patient population."
"We are very optimistic about the opportunity to work with Occam to combine their Biolimus A9 drug and bioabsorbable coating with our novel Custom Nx System,” said Hank Plain, President and CEO of Xtent. “The Custom Nx with Biolimus A9 will offer new treatment options for patients, procedural efficiency for cardiologists, and significant economic savings for hospitals. Since most of the currently available stent systems are designed for treatment of single lesions, we see tremendous potential for a platform optimized specifically for the rapidly expanding complex lesion market.”
The drug-eluting technology developed by Biosensors International Group. and its affiliates is designed to prevent re-narrowing of treated arteries after coronary intervention. The technology consists of the anti-proliferative drug Biolimus A9 and a bioabsorbable delivery vehicle which regulates the release of the drug into the vessel wall. The drug and temporary coating are currently being evaluated in a multicenter clinical study, the Stealth I trial. Professor Eberhard Grube, M.D., is the principal investigator of the Stealth trial.
"We are excited to be working together with Xtent,” stated Yoh-Chie Lu, President and CEO of Biosensors International Group, the parent company of Occam and Biosensors International. “This strategic partnership gives us the opportunity to apply our antiproliferative drug, Biolimus A9, on a unique stent delivery system. Xtent offers an innovative platform that we believe will underscore the benefits of the drug and coating technology we have developed."
About Biosensors International Group.
Biosensors International Group and its affiliates focus their research in the fields of new drug discovery, stent design, and local drug delivery coating development for interventional cardiology markets worldwide. Occam International B.V. and Biosensors International – USA are subsidiaries of Biosensors International Group. Biosensors International Group seeks to become a leading company specializing in cardiovascular technology. Its manufacturing facilities are certified by world authorities such as the FDA, TGA, ISO, and CE Mark. For more information, please visit www.biosensorsintl.com.
U.S. Contact:
Biosensors International USA
(949) 553-8300
InvestorInfo@Biosensors-usa.com
Occam ( Biosensors BV) Contact:
Tel: (31) 252 517676
Email : info@biosensors.nl
Media Relations contacts:
Sean Collins, CCG, (818) 789-0100 or
(310) 497-9205; or
Valerie Bent, (702) 270-9696.
About Xtent
Xtent is a privately-held emerging medical device company developing unique stent delivery systems for the treatment of complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease.
For more information contact:
Brian Walsh, VP Sales & Marketing
Xtent, Inc.
125 Constitution Drive
Menlo Park , CA 94025
(650) 475-9400 ext.430
|
