Analysts Say Abbott Has the 'Best Stent'

Analysts at RBC Capital Markets say Abbott Laboratories has "the best stent," after data released last week at the American College of Cardiology indicate that Abbott's Xience is superior to Boston Scientific's Taxus.

The SPIRIT III clinical trial of the Xience stent versus the Taxus showed that the Xience was superior in its primary endpoint, with a statistically significant 50 percent reduction in in-segment late loss at eight months compared with the Taxus, Abbot announced.

In its major secondary endpoint of target vessel failure at nine months, the Xience demonstrated noninferiority to the Taxus with 21 percent reduction, the statement said.

In addition, an analysis of nine-month major adverse cardiac events (MACE) -- cardiac death, heart attack and target lesion revascularization -- revealed the Xience as superior to the Taxus with a statistically significant 44 percent reduction in MACE compared with Taxus, according to Abbott.