Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Japan Stent Technology for Its Pioneering Coronary Stent Design

LONDON, January 28 - Based on its recent research on the medical devices market, Frost &
Sullivan presents Japan Stent Technology with the 2009 European Frost &
Sullivan Award for Enabling Technology for its contributions to advancing
localized drug delivery in the coronary care segment. The company is on the
cutting edge of a new era in medical device care that is witnessing a merging
of device and pharmaceutical therapy. Drug-hybrid technologies provide a
revolutionary advantage over standard forms of therapy and Japan Stent has
both bare-metal stents and drug-eluting stents that are designed effectively
in preventing restenosis in arteries.

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Restenosis is a major concern in stenting procedures and often a fatal
post-surgical complication. Japan Stent has deeply researched this issue to
develop a new stent design that can be easily delivered into the artery with
minimal endothelial abrasions. Another major difficulty surgeons' face on the
operating table is the kinking and flaring behaviour of the metallic wire
mesh. Japan Stent's bare metal stents do not kink or flare even at their
maximum flexibility. The company's patented drug eluting stent is based on
the conventional DLC coating method and diffusion of polymer and drug
technology. The device is in its non-clinical study and is expected to get
commercialized soon.

Excellent clinical results have corroborated the efficacy of the
company's coronary stent along with the salient features such as high radial
force and flexibility, minimal stimulus to vascular endothelium and
optimization of stent design for all sites. All these breakthrough features
of Japan Stent's bare metal stent have culminated in the product being
approved with a Conformite Europeenne (CE) mark certificate. Regulatory
approval of the stent was based on exceptional clinical data obtained in a
comprehensive clinical program.

"As the premier bare-metal stent system in the market, Japan Stent
Technology's coronary stent lives up to its reputation by truly delivering
what other stent systems do not. Its stent system's achievement of receiving
the CE mark approval speaks volumes about its capabilities," says Frost &
Sullivan Research Analyst Sreevidhya Praveen. "Apparently, this bare metal
stent system illustrates exceptional characteristics that will position it
well in the approximately US$1 billion international bare metal stent market.
This eventually lays a platform for Japan Stent's promising passive and
drug-eluting coating systems that are currently under non-clinical study."

Japan Stent caters to the various needs of the customers by providing
complete solutions for coronary stents. The company's innovations are
promoted through close associations with the customers and their needs and
requirements are continuously met with. Besides a strong research and
development (R&D) team with substantial amount of experience, friendly and
active communication within the team, and spontaneously organized meetings
when needed, have all helped in generating a positive, creative and team
spirit within the organization. The company has major clientele, which
include medical equipment manufacturers, trading houses, retail dealers and
university laboratories.

Overall, Japan Stent takes pride in being an innovation-oriented company,
as the products manufactured are advanced, extremely customized, and
innovative. The company contributes to safer and more economical medical
treatment by producing unique drug eluting stents and functional surface
coating of medical devices.

"Whether the next generations of products in coronary stents would
incorporate new drug-polymer combinations or gene and cell therapy is not
known," notes Praveen. "However, Japan Stent has the expertise to collaborate
with any of those industry innovators."

For these achievements, Japan Stent Technology is the worthy recipient of
the 2009 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Enabling Technology for in the
coronary care medical devices market. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents
this award to a company that has developed new technologies and/or products
or enhanced existing products. The award recognizes the recipient's ability
to expand into new applications, create industry standards and get end-users
to recognize and transition to the new innovation.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety
of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and
superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation,
customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts
compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth
interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify
best practices in the industry.

About Japan Stent Technology

Japan Stent Technology globally contributes to the medical treatment
through the business in Okayama prefecture based on new drug coating stent
and functional surface coating of medical devices developed in universities.
Founded in 2003, the company has devoted significant resources to bringing a
family of proprietary endovascular products to market. These products are
focused in the emerging markets of stent technology and chronic occlusions.
The company has international standards of competitive design, fabrication,
polishing, and medical coating of Stent features for medical instrument
surface application technology.

Japan Stent designs and manufactures medical instruments such as stents
for coronaria, head arteria carotis, and bile passage and catheters. Its
major product includes stents, guidewires and catheters which are customized
to the needs of the users. Medical instruments are processed using advanced
technologies such as Laser machining, carbon coating and biocompatibility,
and surface functionalized polymer coating. Available technologies with Japan
Stent include stent designing, fine laser processing, stent medical coating,
metal surface polishing, and material surface functionalizing.

With its ISO certified stent design, the company has received grant money
from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Okayama
Government, NEDO, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, etc.

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    Contact:
    Frost & Sullivan:
    Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events & Promotions Executive/ EMEA,
    Best Practices,
    Frost & Sullivan, ciara.connolly@frost.com, P: +44-(0)-207-915-7868,
    F: +44-(0)-207-730-3343,
    www.frost.com

Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events & Promotions Executive/ EMEA, Best Practices, of Frost & Sullivan, +44-(0)-207-915-7868, Fax, +44-(0)-207-730-3343, ciara.connolly at frost.com