Medical device maker Medtronic Inc. said Monday it has commenced a global study comparing the company's Endeavor drug-eluting stent against Abbott Laboratory's competing Xience V drug-eluting stent.
The first patients were implanted with the device in Europe over the last two weeks.
The trial, called RESOLUTE III, will enroll a total of 2,300 patients.
The Endeavor stent won European regulatory approval in October and U.S. approval in January. Stents are tiny, mesh-wire tubes that prop open arteries after they have been surgically cleared of fatty plaque.
Shares of Medtronic rose 23 cents to $48.01 in afternoon trading.
(This version CORRECTS the story to note the Endeavor is already approved in the U.S.)
Terms & Conditions
RSS Headlines
Fool UK