A new form of stent made by Abbott Laboratories, promises to upset the dominance of heart stents currently held by J&J and Boston Scientific. Abbot’s new heart stent dissolves in the artery three years after being implanted.
A human trial has just delivered very positive results. In another trial, Xience, another Abbott drug-coated stent (non-dissolving), was found to be superior to Taxus (Boston Scientific) at keeping blood vessels open. Taxus is currently the biggest seller in this market in the USA. The study, presented at the American College of Cardiology, New Orleans, found patients given Xience had fewer heart attacks, cardiac death and repeat procedures, when compared to patients reciving Taxus. In other words, Xience patients had better long-term outcomes than Taxus patients.
A stent is like a mini-scaffold. It is placed in the arteries to keep it from closing up after angioplasty.
The new dissolving stent is made of lactic acid molecules – they are linked to form the stent. Our bodies produce lactic acid naturally when we exercise.
Ever since studies in Europe found an association between the formation of dangerous blood clots and non-dissolving stents (years after implantation), their sales have taken a fall.
Click on the two links below to see the articles in the Abbot Laboratories web site:
— Abbott Announces Positive Six-Month Results from the World’s First Clinical Trial of A Fully Bioabsorbable Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent
— Abbott’s XIENCE™ V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent Superior To TAXUS® Stent In SPIRIT III U.S. Pivotal Clinical Trial
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today