U.S. Hospital Group Signs Stent Deals With Abbott, J&J
05 Février 2009 - 3:59PM
Dow Jones News
Premier Inc., a huge U.S. hospital purchasing group, said
Thursday that it has signed new agreements for drug-coated stent
heart devices with Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Johnson &
Johnson (JNJ).
The tiny devices prop open clogged arteries, use medication to
fight renarrowing and represent a roughly $2 billion domestic
market. Owned by non-profit hospitals, Premier runs a purchasing
network that serves more than 2,100 U.S. hospitals and 53,000 other
health care sites.
The group's 13-month agreements with the two stent makers became
effective Jan. 1 this year. Premier said the agreements are
available to its "acute care" and "continuum of care" members.
The stent franchises at Abbott and J&J have moved in
opposite directions in recent months. J&J is the sector's
pioneer, having rolled out the first coated stent domestically in
2003. Abbott only entered the U.S. market last summer, but its
"Xience" stent quickly vaulted to a market-leading position while
taking business from older devices, including J&J's "Cypher"
stent.
Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) and Medtronic Inc. (MDT) are the
other two major stent makers
-By Jon Kamp, Dow Jones Newswires; 617-654-6728;
jon.kamp@dowjones.com