HONG KONG, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

The clinical impact of the first-ever pro-healing stent, OrbusNeich's Genous Bio-engineered R stent, is the subject of a symposium at next month's 16th Annual Scientific Congress of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology.

Scheduled for May 3 at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel, the one-hour session will include:

-- An opening address by the symposium's chairperson, Tak Fu Tse, M.D., of the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Hong Kong, from 1:30 p.m.-1:35 p.m. -- The latest clinical update on the Genous technology by Federico Piscione, M.D., of Federico II University, Naples, from 1:35 p.m.-1:55 p.m. -- A presentation about the selection of stents in AMI patients by Harry Suryapranata, M.D., of Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, The Netherlands, from 1:55 p.m.-2:15 p.m. -- A Q&A session followed by closing remarks from Dr. Tse from 2:15 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.

"Based on the data we've seen with the real-world use of Genous and in recent clinical trials, we believe that the stent is an important alternative to drug-eluting stents," said Dr. Tse. "The stent's safety profile and the minimal requirements for dual antiplatelet therapy following placement can have a significant clinical impact, especially in patients who are likely to bleed or require surgery in the near future."

Unlike drug-eluting stents, Genous, which is coated with an antibody, captures a patient's endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to accelerate the natural healing process. EPCs circulate in the bloodstream and are involved in the repair of blood vessels. When attracted to the surface of Genous, EPCs rapidly form an endothelial layer over the stent that provides protection against thrombus and minimizes restenosis.

OrbusNeich designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical devices for the treatment of vascular diseases. The company's product portfolio includes the Genous Bio-engineered R stent, an antibody-coated device that is the first-ever stent to capture a patient's endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to accelerate the natural healing process following placement. Other products are stents, balloons and guiding catheters marketed under the names of Blazer(TM), R stent(TM), Sapphire(TM), Avita(TM), Avita HP(TM), SafeCut(TM), Lumina(TM) and Saffron.

A global company, OrbusNeich is headquartered in Hong Kong and has operations in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Hoevelaken, The Netherlands; Tokyo; and Shenzhen, China. OrbusNeich, which has provided cardiology devices to physicians through its predecessor companies since 1979, today supplies products to interventional cardiologists in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.OrbusNeich.com.

Web site: http://www.OrbusNeich.com

Global Media, David Schull, Russo Partners LLC, for OrbusNeich, +1-212-845-4271 (office), or +1-858-717-2310 (mobile), david.schull@russopartnersllc.com