Polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting stents in percutaneous coronary intervention: A review of the TAXUS trials

Drug-eluting stents have altered the practice of interventional cardiology by dramatically reducing the risk of angiographic and clinical restenosis following percutaneous coronary intervention. Based on extensive preclinical study and clinical trial data, the polymer-based, slow rate-release paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stent has recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for sale in the United States. In the current article, we review the available data from the TAXUS trials that have demonstrated that implantation of the slow rate-release TAXUS stent is safe and, in terms of restenosis, markedly superior to bare metal stenting for the treatment of de novo lesions <28 mm in length in arteries 2.5-3.75 mm in diameter. Additional trials in the TAXUS program are currently examining the role of slow and moderate rate-release polymer-based, paclitaxel-eluting stents in a broader range of clinical settings and lesion subsets.