Medtronic reveals results of clinical study done in the United States

Results from 66 patients from across the country participating on a study in transcatheter pulmonary valve for congenital heart disease resulted in:

... a high acute procedural success rate of 98 percent. At six-months follow up, maintenance of excellent valve competence was demonstrated as was a corresponding, clinically-significant, reduction of more than 18 percent in right ventricular volume. Valve competence was assessed by median pulmonary regurgitation fraction, which was down to 0 percent from a baseline of 30 percent.

Read more here.

Successful clinical trial reported by Abbott

Yesterday, Abbott reported that a two year study showed that:

a bioabsorbable stent successfully treated coronary artery disease and was absorbed within the walls of arteries.

It was proven by:
data from 30 patients showed the drug-eluting stent left behind blood vessels "that appeared to move and function similar to unstented arteries."

Eighty patients will be included in the next stage of the clinical trial and Abbott hopes to release this drug to the European market by 2012, followed by the United States.

More than money drives clinical trials outside of the US

In a recent article at Bioresearch Online, they say that conducting clinical trials in India is 44% less expensive than conducting clinical trials in the US. Cutting Edge Information research states that a clinical trial in the US would cost$125 million while only $70 million in India. Other factors pushing researchers out of the US is better patient recruitment and retention outside of the US. Find out more here.