ABBOTT PARK, Ill., April 7 -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT - News) today announced that it has received conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application for the ZoMaxx™ drug-eluting stent. As a result, the company will soon begin enrolling the first 250 patients into its ZOMAXX II drug- eluting coronary stent clinical trial in the United States. The start of enrollment into the trial is consistent with anticipated U.S. approval for ZoMaxx in the second half of 2007.

The ZOMAXX II trial will enroll 1,670 coronary artery disease patients in up to 80 centers. The trial will compare clinical outcomes in patients who are treated with Abbott's investigational ZoMaxx drug-eluting coronary stent with patients who receive Boston Scientific's Taxus™ Express2™ drug- eluting stent. The primary endpoint of ZOMAXX II is 9-month ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization, a clinical measure of the need to conduct another intervention (stent, brachytherapy or surgery) to reopen a vessel previously treated with a stent.

"Abbott is committed to develop the ZoMaxx drug-eluting stent as an important new treatment for coronary artery disease patients worldwide," said Robert B. Hance, president of Abbott Vascular, a division of Abbott. "The ZoMaxx drug-eluting stent is poised to become an important product in Abbott Vascular's growing line of vessel closure, coronary and endovascular products."

Outside of the United States, Abbott continues to enroll patients in ZOMAXX I, a 400-patient prospective randomized clinical trial that is being conducted in more than 30 centers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. ZOMAXX I also compares Abbott's ZoMaxx stent to Boston Scientific's Taxus stent.

About The ZoMaxx Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent
The ZoMaxx drug-eluting stent consists of three key components: a flexible stent platform called TriMaxx™ designed to facilitate ease of placement; a unique polymer carrier called Pharmacoat™ intended to enable steady drug elution; and Abbott's patent-protected immunosuppressant drug called ABT-578, which has been shown to reduce vessel re-narrowing.

ABT-578 was discovered and synthesized by Abbott scientists and is the first drug designed specifically for a drug-eluting stent. Studies have shown that ABT-578 inhibits inflammation and the proliferation of smooth muscle cells that can lead to artery re-narrowing following interventional procedures.

The TriMaxx Coronary Stent has extremely thin struts (mesh scaffolding) and an ultra-low crossing profile designed to facilitate stent placement in arteries. TriMaxx is the first and only stent platform developed with a tri- layer composite of stainless steel and tantalum designed to enable optimal visibility under X-ray fluoroscopy.

The application of biologically inert Pharmacoat to the ZoMaxx stent is designed to allow a steady elution of ABT-578 over time. Pharmacoat is a unique formulation of phosphorylcholine licensed to Abbott from Biocompatibles International plc.

About Abbott Vascular
Abbott Vascular, a division of Abbott, is transforming the treatment of vascular disease, combining the latest medical device innovations with world- class pharmaceuticals to advance medicine and improve patient care. Abbott Vascular offers a comprehensive portfolio of vessel closure, endovascular and coronary products that are recognized internationally for their ease of use, safety and effectiveness in treating patients with vascular disease. Abbott Vascular is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif. For more information about Abbott Vascular, visit http://www.abbottvascular.com .

ZoMaxx is not available for sale in the United States. ZoMaxx is an investigational device, limited by Federal law to investigational use.

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 60,000 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 http://www.abbott.com .

Taxus is a trademark of Boston Scientific Corporation.

ZoMaxx, TriMaxx and Pharmacoat are trademarks of Abbott.