Abbott Reports Stent Test Success

Abbott(ABT Quote) has reported positive results from a clinical trial of its Xience drug-coated stent, clearing an important hurdle on the path to Food and Drug Administration approval.

The company said six-month results from the study's first 30 patients revealed no stent thrombosis, or reclotting of the blood, and a low rate of major cardiac events, such as a heart attack.

The performance actually was superior to that of rival Boston Scientific’s(BSX Quote) best-selling Taxus stent, according to weekend media reports.

That’s good news for Abbott, which needed to show only that Xience was equal in performance to Taxus in order to call the study a success. ...