Conor/Novartis DES pact
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Three Novartis pharmaceutical compounds - imatinib mesylate, pimecrolimus and the pre-commercial compound midostaurin - will be evaluated for use with Conor's porous stent technology to treat restenosis under a March 15 agreement. Pending successful results, Conor Medsystems will be granted the option to obtain a worldwide, non-exclusive license to develop a drug-eluting stent with one of the compounds. The deal could offer Conor a back-door approach to the DES market in the event that litigation deters Conor's CoStar paclitaxel-eluting stent from becoming commercially available. Boston Scientific and Angiotech Pharmaceuticals have brought patent infringement suits against the Menlo Park, Calif. firm (1"The Gray Sheet" Feb. 7, 2005, p. 7)...