Abbott to Present Data on Novel Vascular Technologies and XIENCE V(R) at ACC 2011

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

-- Two-Year Data on Abbott's Investigational MitraClip(R) System to be Highlighted as a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial on April 4

-- One-Year Data on the ABSORB(TM) Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold to be Presented as an Interventional Featured Clinical Trial

-- XIENCE V to be Presented in New Pooled Analysis of Nearly 7,000 Patients

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced the company's schedule of key data presentations at the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 60th Annual Scientific Session and i2 Summit 2011, to be held April 2 - 5 in New Orleans. Highlights include late-breaking two-year data from EVEREST II, the trial of the investigational MitraClip(R) system, which is a first-of-its-kind, catheter-based device for mitral valve repair. In addition, data for the ABSORB(TM) bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) will be presented as an Interventional Featured Clinical Trial and the XIENCE V(R) Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System will be featured in a pooled analysis of two-year data from the SPIRIT II, III, IV and COMPARE trials.

"Over the course of this year, Abbott will continue to strengthen its vascular leadership with a number of milestones across key areas of our business, including important data that will be presented at ACC for our MitraClip system, ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold and market-leading XIENCE V stent," said Robert Hance, senior vice president, vascular, Abbott. "Anchored by our comprehensive portfolio of on-market vascular devices and an industry-leading vascular pipeline, we continue to generate promising advancements in our coronary, endovascular and structural heart technologies - all of which have the potential to make a significant impact on patient care."

Key presentations are as follows (all times are Central):

EVEREST II: Two-year results on the MitraClip system from EVEREST II will be presented by Ted Feldman, M.D., FSCAI, director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, and The Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Walgreen Chair in Interventional Cardiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill. The data will be presented during the late-breaking clinical trials session on Monday, April 4, at 8 a.m. in the Joint Main Tent: La Nouvelle of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The MitraClip system received CE Mark in 2008. In the U.S., the MitraClip system is limited to investigational use only and is not available for sale. The MitraClip system is currently under review for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

ABSORB: One-year data on 101 patients from the second phase of the ABSORB trial, evaluating Abbott's ABSORB BVS, will be presented as an Interventional Featured Clinical Trial on Sunday, April 3, at 6 p.m. in room 354 and 355 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The ABSORB BVS restores blood flow by opening a clogged vessel and then is slowly metabolized and resorbed by the body. In January 2011, Abbott announced that it received CE Mark approval in Europe for ABSORB, the world's first drug eluting BVS for the treatment of coronary artery disease. ABSORB is not currently available for sale in the U.S.

SPIRIT II, III, IV and COMPARE: Two-year pooled results from the SPIRIT II, III, IV and COMPARE trials will be presented on Sunday, April 3, at 8 a.m. in room 353 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The analysis from these four trials will examine predictors of artery re-blockage, cardiac death or heart attack out to two years in nearly 7,000 patients, including patients with complex disease, following treatment with XIENCE V or a TAXUS(R) paclitaxel-eluting stent.

About XIENCE V

Abbott's XIENCE V drug eluting stent is marketed in the United States, Europe, Japan and other international markets.

Everolimus, developed by Novartis Pharma AG, is a proliferation signal inhibitor, or mTOR inhibitor, licensed to Abbott by Novartis for use on its drug eluting stents. Everolimus has been shown to inhibit in-stent neointimal growth in the coronary vessels following stent implantation, due to its anti-proliferative properties.

XIENCE V is indicated for improving coronary luminal diameter in patients with symptomatic heart disease due to de novo native coronary artery lesions (lesions less than or equal to 28 mm) with reference vessel diameters of 2.5 mm to 4.25 mm. Additional information about XIENCE V, including important safety information, is available online at http://www.xiencev.com or http://www.abbottvascular.com/en_US/content/document/eIFU_XienceV.pdf.

About Abbott Vascular

Abbott Vascular is a global leader in cardiac and vascular care with market-leading products and an industry-leading pipeline. Abbott Vascular offers a comprehensive cardiac and vascular devices portfolio, including products for coronary artery disease, vessel closure, endovascular disease, and structural heart disease.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs nearly 90,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott information is available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com.