Use of coronary stents that release the drugs sirolimus or paclitaxel produced similar results in patients with new coronary artery lesions, according to a study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Stents that release sirolimus or paclitaxel have been known to be more effective than bare metal stents in improving angiographic (examination of the blood vessels using x-rays) and clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary revascularization (procedures such as angioplasty in which a catheter-guided balloon is used to open a narrowed coronary artery). These drugs are effective after these procedures because they inhibit the growth of cells in blood vessels. It has not been clear if one drug-releasing stent is more effective than another, according to background information in the article.
Marie-Claude Morice, M.D., of the Institut Cardiovasculaire Paris Sud, Massy, France and colleagues compared the safety and efficacy of sirolimus-eluting vs. paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents in patients with new coronary artery lesions. The REALITY trial included 1,386 patients with angina pectoris (a heart condition marked by chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart) and 1 or 2 new coronary lesions. The study was conducted at 90 hospitals in Europe, Latin America, and Asia between August 2003 and February 2004, with angiographic follow-up at 8 months and clinical follow-up at 12 months. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a sirolimus-eluting (releasing) stent or a paclitaxel-eluting stent.