April 26, 2007 — Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company, has announced that the two-year data from its European pivotal trial examining the Vascular Wrap Paclitaxel-Eluting Mesh (Vascular Wrap) is being presented today at a scientific forum in Europe.
The two-year study examined the safety and efficacy of the Vascular Wrap for use in arterial bypass surgery in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Dr. Lajos Matyas is presenting the results at the 2007 European Symposium of Vascular Biomaterials (ESVB) in Strasbourg, France.
"The results of this 109-patient study suggest that the Vascular Wrap combined with an ePTFE graft may be a promising future therapy option for patients with PAD who require arterial bypass surgery," said Dr. Lajos Matyas, a lead investigator based in Miskolc, Hungary, who enrolled the highest number of patients out of the nine clinical centers in Europe involved in the study.
Angiotech initially released the results from the two-year Vascular Wrap study in November 2006. The objectives of this two-year study were to assess the safety and clinical performance of the Vascular Wrap in combination with an ePTFE vascular graft following surgery to treat patients suffering from advanced peripheral arterial disease in their lower limbs. The device, in combination with an ePTFE graft, was compared to a control group of patients that received standard of care — an ePTFE graft alone.
The single-blind study enrolled a total of 109 patients at nine clinical centers in Europe as well as the Dutch Antilles and randomized patients with peripheral vascular disease in a 2:1 fashion. The treatment arm enrolled patients with a synthetic bypass graft plus the Vascular Wrap paclitaxel-eluting mesh and the control arm enrolled patients with a synthetic bypass graft alone.
For more information visit www.angiotech.com.