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Drug Stents: J&J Innovates, Others Stumble

In traditional coronary stents, Cordis/J&J initially dominated the market, only to dramatically lose market share because of its inability to come up with a next generation product quickly enough, before becoming competitive again. In drug-eluting stents, which look to be the next blockbuster cardiovascular product, J&J again has an early lead, but this time its competitors have stumbled.

Few companies have gone through what Cordis Corp. , Johnson & Johnson's interventional cardiology operating company, has gone through in coronary stents. In the mid 1990s, the company quickly captured 90% of a booming market with the only coronary stent approved. But when the company failed to deliver a viable second-generation stent and competitors cleared regulatory hurdles much faster than anyone anticipated, Cordis lost virtually its whole stake in the market. Yet Cordis has made a remarkable comeback, rebounding to regain more than a 25% market share, by most estimates, battling Medtronic AVE Inc. for the number two spot behind stent market leader, Guidant Corp. (See "Resurrecting Cordis," IN VIVO, March 2001 [A#2001800056)

Now, as clinicians and cardiovascular device companies await what is widely predicted to be medical device's next blockbuster, drug-eluting stents,...

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