Medical devices major St. Jude Medical, Inc.’s ( STJ - Analyst Report ) recently revealed positive data from the EnligHTN trial, evaluating the efficacy and safety of its renal denervation system at the annual American Heart Association (AHA) meeting. The data demonstrated that the EnligHTN system, after six months of treatment, reduced systolic blood pressure by 26 points on an average in patients with resistant hypertension.

Hypertension affects approximately 1 billion people worldwide. Renal denervation is a novel procedure which has been developed for treating resistant hypertension and high blood pressure when patients do not respond well to conventional medical therapies.

The emerging renal denervation business is a part of St. Jude’s Cardiovascular and Ablation Technologies Division and represents a major growth prospects. Physicians at St. Jude’s cardiovascular unit believe that this alternative form of treatment of resistant hypertension using the EnligHTN device represents a significant advancement in the field of medical science.

EnligHTN, the first multi-electrode ablation catheter in the medical device industry, treats hypertension by deactivating of the nerves (which stimulate high blood pressure) adjacent to the renal arteries using a catheter-based probe. It enhances clinical accuracy and reduces procedural time at a much lower cost than expensive drug therapy.

The device has already received the CE Mark approval in May 2012 and is commercially available in several markets. However, it is yet to receive an approval from the U.S. regulatory agencies. The EnligHTN data released by the company provides a considerable technological edge to the product line.

One of St. Jude’s larger peers in this space is Medtronic ( MDT - Analyst Report ) , which manufactures the Simplicity renal denervation catheter system. Despite tough competition, St. Jude believes that the new CE Marked renal denervation system is another emerging opportunity expected to accelerate growth in 2013.

Our long-term Neutral recommendation on St. Jude carries a short-term Zacks #3 Rank (Hold) rating.

Medical devices major, St. Jude Medical, Inc.’s ( STJ - Analyst Report ) recently revealed positive data from the EnligHTN trial, evaluating the efficacy and safety of its renal denervation system at the annual American Heart Association (AHA) meeting. The data demonstrated that the EnligHTN system, after six months of treatment, reduced systolic blood pressure by 26 points on an average in patients with resistant hypertension.

Hypertension affects approximately 1 billion people worldwide. Renal denervation is a novel procedure which has been developed for treating resistant hypertension and high blood pressure when patients do not respond well to conventional medical therapies.

The emerging renal denervation business is a part of St. Jude’s Cardiovascular and Ablation Technologies Division and represents a major growth prospects. Physicians at St. Jude’s cardiovascular unit believe that this alternative form of treatment of resistant hypertension using the EnligHTN device represents a significant advancement in the field of medical science.

EnligHTN, the first multi-electrode ablation catheter in the medical device industry, treats hypertension by deactivating of the nerves (which stimulate high blood pressure) adjacent to the renal arteries using a catheter-based probe. It enhances clinical accuracy and reduces procedural time at a much lower cost than expensive drug therapy.

The device has already received the CE Mark approval in May 2012 and is commercially available in several markets. However, it is yet to receive an approval from the U.S. regulatory agencies. The EnligHTN data released by the company provides a considerable technological edge to the product line.

One of St. Jude’s larger peers in this space is Medtronic ( MDT - Analyst Report ) , which manufactures the Simplicity renal denervation catheter system. Despite tough competition, St. Jude believes that the new CE Marked renal denervation system is another emerging opportunity expected to accelerate growth in 2013.

Our long-term Neutral recommendation on St. Jude carries a short-term Zacks #3 Rank (Hold) rating.