HONG KONG, February 15 /PRNewswire/ --

OrbusNeich's Genous(TM) Bio-engineered R stent(TM) is feasible and safe for use in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, according to a paper published in the American Heart Journal (2008; Vol. 155, Issue 1: 128-132).

The paper, based on a study of 120 acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who received a Genous stent, reports there was no incidence of late thrombosis and that the revascularization rate of 2.5% at six months is highly acceptable when compared to published primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rates for bare metal stents. The paper also highlighted the low rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE): 4.2% at 30 days and 5.8% at six months.

Entitled "Use of endothelial progenitor cell capture stent (Genous Bio-engineered R Stent) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in acute myocardial infarction: Intermediate- to long-term clinical follow up," the paper was authored by Dr. Huay Cheem Tan. The study was conducted at National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

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(TM) Bio-engineered R stent(TM), 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.

Global Media Contact:

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

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

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