|
 The stent, called Absorb, is made of a plastic similar to dissolving
sutures and offers patients an alternative to metal stents currently
used to prop open arteries cleared of blockages.
Unlike traditional stents that remain in place after implantation,
Absorb is designed to disappear fully within three years of the
procedure.
Absorb’s appeal is that it allows the blood vessel to return to a
natural state, free from a permanent metal implant. The approach
holds particular promise for patients whose coronary artery disease
could require multiple implants over the course of several decades,
said Mitchell Krucoff, a professor at Duke University Medical Center
who has advised Abbott on Absorb.
"This is a game changer," he said in an interview. "There are no
longer going to be permanent metal implants in the artery."
Absorb releases the drug everolimus to combat the growth of scar
tissue that can form within a stent and cause the artery to narrow
again, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved the
stent, said.
"No metal means the treated artery can pulse and flex naturally as
demands on the heart change with everyday activities," said Gregg
Stone of Columbia University Medical Center, who led clinical trials
for Absorb. "No metal may also reduce the potential of future
blockages that occur with permanent metallic stents."
Data released in October concluded Absorb was comparable to Abbott’s
own Xience drug-coated metal stent in safety and effectiveness but
showed a higher risk of heart attacks and blood clots. Abbott said
it expects the risks to lessen as surgeons gain experience with it.
[to top of second column] |
Absorb also will compete with Medtronic Plc's traditional
drug-coated Resolute stent and Boston Scientific Corp's Synergy and
Promus stents. Synergy’s polymer coating disappears over time after
delivering a drug that helps prevent the artery from re-clogging,
leaving a metal stent in place.
Abbott plans to roll out the device to about 100 hospitals in the
next several months as it trains surgeons on the implant procedure
before ramping up sales, said spokesman Jonathon Hamilton. Absorb
will be priced at a "modest" premium to Xience, he said. Analysts
have predicted Absorb will gain a market niche but not surpass
drug-dispensing metal stents such as Xience in share until
longer-term data show more favorable clinical results.
(Reporting by Susan Kelly in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and
Bill Trott)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
