Italian Ministry of Health Assigns Higher Price Premium to CYPHER® Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent
Miami, FL (December 1, 2005) – Cordis Corporation today announced that Italy's Ministry of Health has established a higher price premium for the CYPHER® Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent over the Taxus Stent based on the medical device's excellent long-term clinical results and health economics data.
The Ministry's Commissione Unica Dispositivi medica (CUD) – the National Committee for Medical Devices – assessed the clinical outcomes and cost- effectiveness of drug-eluting stents. The tertiary payer's CUD analysis considered avoidance of costs associated with re-intervention procedures to assign differential value of EURO $1678 for the CYPHER® Stent compared to EURO $1367 for the Taxus Stent – a 23 percent difference in price.
"CUD's analysis has shown that initial treatment costs combined with minimal costs of follow-up and long-term care for patients with the CYPHER® Stent offer a clear advantage over other commercially available drug-eluting stents," said Brian G. Firth, worldwide vice president of medical affairs and health economics, Cordis Corporation. "The CYPHER® Stent provides significant value to health care systems as a whole with the real potential to lower individual in-country health care costs."
"Since its introduction in 2002, the CYPHER® Stent has become a gold standard in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Clinical evidence and experience with more than 1.5 million patients treated to date in more than 80 countries demonstrates that the CYPHER® Stent offers a high safety and efficacy threshold and good value to health care systems," Dr. Firth added.
Established in 2003, the goal of CUD is to define a national formulary of medical devices by grouping them into different categories and analyzing the differences in pricing. Other activities are related to the Vigilance of MDs, Clinical Trials and Health Technology Assessment. A working group was formed in October 2004 to prepare technology assessment reports of advanced medical devices (DES, ICD).
About the CYPHER® Stent
The CYPHER® Stent has been chosen by cardiologists worldwide to treat more than 1.5 million patients with coronary artery disease. It is supported by a robust clinical trial program that includes more than 40 studies, inclusive of independent clinical trials, that examine the performance of the stent in vessels of varying complexity. Developed and manufactured by Cordis Corporation, the CYPHER® Stent is currently available in more than 80 countries and has the longest term clinical follow-up of any drug-eluting stent. The CYPHER® SELECT™ Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent, which is the first next generation drug-eluting stent, was launched in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada in 2003. More information about the CYPHER® Stent can be found at www.cypherusa.com.
About Cordis Corporation
For more than 40 years, Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, has pioneered less invasive treatments for vascular disease. Technological innovation and a deep understanding of the medical marketplace and the needs of patients have made Cordis Corporation the world's leading developer and manufacturer of breakthrough products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging and electrophysiology. Today, more than 7,000 Cordis Corporation employees worldwide share a strong commitment to continue the Company's groundbreaking work in the fight against vascular disease.
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SOURCE: Cordis Corporation |
