ANPI Angiotech Pharmaceuticals - Common Shares (MM)

Angiotech partner announces first international trial of a paclitaxel-eluting stent for peripheral artery disease - New treatment could benefit millions who suffer from seriously under-diagnosed disease - VANCOUVER, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANPINASDAQ:TSX:NASDAQ:ANP) corporate partner, Cook Inc., today announced that with a U.S. trial already underway, Cook Group will expand its efforts to bring the world's first paclitaxel-eluting stent for peripheral artery disease (PAD) to market by launching an international clinical trial. The global clinical investigation of Cook's Zilver(R) PTX Drug-Eluting Stent will enroll 760 patients at up to 50 investigational sites in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. The Zilver(R) PTX(TM) Drug-Eluting Stent is a self-expanding stent made of nitinol and coated with the drug paclitaxel for insertion into the peripheral arterial system using percutaneous access. Cook has conducted extensive preclinical testing supporting the safety and performance of this device, and has an ongoing pilot clinical trial in the United States. "Cook's announcement of a major international trial utilizing paclitaxel- eluting stents to treat PAD is a significant step forward in the evolution of drug-eluting stents," said William L. Hunter, MD, MSc, President and CEO of Angiotech. "Paclitaxel is recognized as the leading technology used for the management of coronary disease and is a logical extension to address a poorly treated disease affecting over 40 million people in the western world." Peripheral arterial disease affects blood vessels that lead from the heart to other areas of the body such as the legs, feet and kidneys. When the blood vessels become blocked due to fatty deposit buildup, blood circulation is restricted. Untreated, peripheral arterial disease results in pain when walking and can lead to gangrene and amputation. The trial is designed to determine the safety and effectiveness of the Zilver(R) PTX(TM) paclitaxel-eluting stent by Cook Incorporated to clear blockages above the knee in the femoropopliteal artery (the major artery in the thigh). The stent, a small metal device that acts like a scaffold, is used to prop open the blocked arteries. But in many cases, arteries can become blocked again over time as scar tissue forms around the implanted stent. To prevent the renarrowing of the artery, the Zilver PTX is coated with paclitaxel, a drug approved for clinical use as an anti-cancer agent and used successfully with coronary stents to reduce the risk of renarrowing of the artery. Cook Inc. holds a co-exclusive license from Angiotech for the use of paclitaxel in the peripheral vascular and gastrointestinal fields of use. The Cook Zilver(R) PTX(TM) Drug-Eluting Vascular Stent is an investigational device not cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States. It is indicated for use in the treatment of symptomatic vascular disease of the above-the-knee femoropopliteal artery. Vancouver-based Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company pioneering the combination of pharmaceutical compounds with medical devices and biomaterials to both create novel solutions for challenging disease states and advance surgical outcomes. To find out more about Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANPINASDAQ:TSX:NASDAQ:ANP), please visit our website at http://www.angiotech.com/. CONTACTS: Todd Young, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Analysts & Investors) (604) 221-7676 ext 6933 Rui Avelar, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Analysts) (604) 221-7676 ext 6996 Eric Starkman, Starkman & Associates (Media) (212) 252-8545 ext 12 DATASOURCE: Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Todd Young, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Analysts & Investors) (604) 221-7676 ext 6933; Rui Avelar, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Analysts) (604) 221-7676 ext 6996; Eric Starkman, Starkman & Associates (Media) (212) 252-8545 ext 12

Copyright