Guidant sees rising share of stent market
Monday January 10, 8:37 pm Eastern Time
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Medical device maker Guidant Corp. (NYSE:GDT - news) expects its share of the market for stents used in angioplasty to rise this year following the launch of its Tristar stent late last year, the company's chief executive officer said on Monday.
``We had about a 50 percent market share in December and the launch was just in the last week of the year,' CEO Ronald Dollens said at a biotechnology conference here.
Guidant, based in Indianapolis, also expects to launch its new implantable defibrillator, the Prizm, later this month, pending final U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, he said.
Dollens said the company expects to launch its Tetra stent in the United States by the fourth quarter and by mid-year in Europe.
``In 2000, we expect growth in the mid- to high-teens even with more aggressive price competition than we saw last year,' Dollens said of the stent market.
He projected that defibrillators will be used in a greater percentage of patients with congestive heart failure due to their proven ability to save lives.
Dollens noted that Guidant has 1,350 issued or pending patents, 26 of which are currently under litigation.
He said a court case with Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE:BSX - news) would likely be decided in March. |
