BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 25 /PRNewswire/ --     The CYPHER(R) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent reduced by more
than half the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) compared to the
Taxus Stent in small coronary vessels according to data appearing this week
in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In a randomized controlled trial of more than 1,000 patients,
the CYPHER(R) Stent reduced MACE by 55 percent (10.4 percent vs. 21.4
percent; p=0.004), mainly driven by a 69 percent reduction of target lesion
revascularization (TLR) (6.0 percent vs. 17.7 percent; p=0.001) compared with
the Taxus Stent at two years. There were no significant differences between
the two stents with respect to death, cardiac death or heart attack at two
years. In this study, reference diameter of vessels ranged from <2.75 vs.
>2.75 mm.

"Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in small vessel
disease is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac
events," said Hans-Peter Stoll, M.D., Director of Clinical Research and
Medical Affairs for Cordis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa "This
randomized clinical trial, the highest form of clinical evidence, found that
there were significant differences between the performance of these two
products in small and often difficult to treat vessels."

In large and mixed coronary vessels, the differences between the
CYPHER(R) Stent and the Taxus Stent were less pronounced, although
numerically lower with the CYPHER(R) stent. In these two patient groups,
rates of MACE (large: 10.4 percent vs. 13.1 percent; p=0.33; mixed: 16.7
percent vs. 18.0 percent; p=0.83) and TLR (large: 6.9 percent vs. 8.6
percent; p=0.47; mixed: 16.7 percent vs. 15.4 percent; p=0.86) were similar.

"Randomized controlled trials, like SIRTAX, and meta-analyses
of randomized controlled trials are the two most appropriate ways to assess
similarities and differences between two products or therapies," said
Dr.Stoll "Results of this randomized controlled trial highlight the
consistency of the CYPHER(R) stent efficacy in varied clinical settings and
patient subgroups. It also continues building on the growing body of clinical
evidence suggesting a difference in these two drug-eluting stents, especially
as patient and lesion complexity increases, such as in small coronary vessel
disease."

The SIRTAX study is an independent, randomized, 1,012 patient
comparison of the CYPHER(R) Stent with the Taxus Stent for coronary
revascularization. It included not only patients with angina but also a large
percentage of patients who were suffering from an acute heart attack
(myocardial infarction) at the time of stent placement.

In the subgroup analysis, the investigators studied the impact
of vessel size on angiographic and long-term clinical outcomes after PCI. The
study analyzed 503 patients who received the CYPHER(R) Stent and 509 patients
who received the Taxus Stent.

About the CYPHER(R) Stent

The CYPHER(R) Stent has been chosen by cardiologists worldwide
to treat approximately three million patients with coronary artery disease.
The safety and efficacy of the device is supported by a robust clinical trial
program that includes more than 70 studies that examine the performance of
the CYPHER(R) Stent in a broad range of patients.

Developed and manufactured by Cordis Corporation, the
CYPHER(R) Stent is currently available in more than 80 countries and has the
broadest clinical experience and longest-term clinical follow-up of any
drug-eluting stent. The next version of sirolimus-eluting stent, the
CYPHER(R) SELECT(tm) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent, was launched in
Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada in 2003. The CYPHER(R)
SELECT(tm) Plus Stent, the third version of a sirolimus-eluting coronary
stent, received CE Mark in 2006

About Cordis Corporation

Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a
worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of interventional
vascular technology. Through the company's innovation, research and
development, Cordis partners with interventional cardiologists worldwide to
treat millions of patients who suffer from vascular disease.

Cordis Corporation has entered into an exclusive worldwide license with
Wyeth for the localized delivery of sirolimus in certain fields of use,
including delivery via vascular stenting. Sirolimus, the active drug released
for the stent, is marketed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth,
under the name Rapamune(R). Rapamune is a trademark of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.