Cordis Corporation's Third-Generation Coronary Stent Approved for Use in Europe

Cordis Corporation's Third-Generation Coronary Stent Approved for Use in Europe

June 27, 2006

CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS Combines Excellent, Long-term Clinical Performance with Exceptional Deliverability to Treat Blockages in Coronary Arteries

    MIAMI, June 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Cordis
Corporation, the world leader in the drug-eluting stent
market, announced today that its CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS has
become the first third-generation drug-eluting stent to
receive CE (Communite European) Mark approval.  The company
will begin launching the product in Europe in September with
full market launch by the end of the year.

    Featuring an enhanced stent delivery system, CYPHER
SELECT(TM) PLUS offers exceptional deliverability, as well
as the excellent, long-term clinical performance for which
the CYPHER(R) Stent is widely known. 

    "A broad range of clinical studies has
demonstrated that the CYPHER(R) Stent is an effective and
safe treatment for coronary artery disease," said
Philip Urban, M.D., F.E.S.C., Director of Invasive
Cardiology, La Tour Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, and
the coordinating investigator of e-SELECT Registry, a
global registry designed to assess the performance of the
CYPHER SELECT(TM) family of stents in daily clinical
practice.  "CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS builds upon that
tradition of excellence by featuring enhancements that ease
the delivery of the stent to the site of a lesion."

    In addition to its flexible stent design and short tip,
CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS features the CYPH2ONIC(TM)
hydrophilic coating technology, an innovative coating
technology that is significantly more lubricious than
previous CYPHER(R) Stent products, greatly increasing a
physician's ability to successfully navigate challenging
coronary arteries.

    "CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS showcases Cordis'
commitment to the treatment of vascular disease," said
Dennis Donohoe, M.D., Vice President, Worldwide Clinical and
Regulatory Affairs, Cordis Corporation.  "With CYPHER
SELECT(TM) PLUS, physicians will experience unprecedented
ease in the delivery of a highly effective stent with an
excellent, long-term safety profile for the treatment of
coronary artery disease."

    With CE mark now secured, the company is aggressively
building its manufacturing capacity for the CYPHER
SELECT(TM) PLUS launch.  The company is committed to ensure
that physicians have ready access to the product as it
becomes available in various countries outside the U.S. 
 
    "As the world's leading developer and manufacturer
of drug-eluting stents, we are pleased with the approval of
the CYPHER SELECT(TM) PLUS which marks yet another
important step in our goal to defeat cardiovascular
disease," said Rick Anderson, Company Group Chairman,
Johnson & Johnson and Worldwide Franchise Chairman,
Cordis Corporation.  "Through innovation, education
and clinical evidence, the Cordis franchise -- Cordis
Cardiology, Cordis Endovascular, Cordis Neurovascular,
Biologics Delivery Systems Group -- and Biosense Webster,
continues to define excellence in bringing breakthrough
products to market.  Collectively, our companies represent
leadership in the cardiac and vascular fields."  

    In 2004, Cordis introduced the first second-generation
drug-eluting stent  -- CYPHER SELECT(TM) --  outside the
United States. 

    About the CYPHER(R) Stent

    The CYPHER(R) Stent has been chosen by cardiologists
worldwide to treat more than two 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 40 studies, inclusive of independent
clinical trials, 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
longest-term clinical follow-up of any drug-eluting stent. 
The first next generation drug-eluting stent, the CYPHER
SELECT(TM) Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent, was launched
in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada in 2003. 
More information about the CYPHER(R) Stent can be found at
http://www.cordis.com .

    About Cordis Corporation

    Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is
a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing
interventional vascular technology.  Through the company's
innovation, research and development, physicians worldwide
are better able to treat the 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.

    For more information, please contact:

     Mariela Melendez of Cordis Cardiology
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

     Todd Ringler of Edelman
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

SOURCE  Cordis Corporation