Right on schedule, Abbott (NYSE:ABT) touted the launch of its Absorb device, which it calls the world’s first drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold.
Absorb, which won CE Mark approval in the European Union in January 2011, is now available across Europe and in parts of Asia Pacific and Latin America, the company announced yesterday. The healthcare giant had stated previously that it would launch commercially by the end of 2012.
Abbott consultant and Netherlands cardiologist Dr. Patrick Serruys waxed poetic about the potential for a fully resorbable stent system.
"This innovation represents a true paradigm shift in how we treat coronary artery disease," Serruys said in an Abbott statement released to the media. "With the launch of Absorb, a scaffold that disappears after doing its job is no longer a dream, but a reality."
Absorb, like other stents, works by opening up and providing support to clogged arteries. Unlike its metal counterparts, however, the device is designed to dissolve within approximately 2 years of implantation.
The device is comprised of polylactide, a bio-compatible substance used in medical implants such as resorbable sutures. Because it eventually disappears, the necessity to treat stent recipients with long-term dual anti-platelet therapy "may be reduced," according to a press release.
Abbott touts the device a world 1st but several other companies are hot on its heels, including San Diego-based Reva Medical, French device maker Arterial Remodeling Technologies and MultiCell Technologies Inc. (OTC:MCET).
Late last month Elixir Medical won CE Mark approval in the European Union for its partially resorbable DESyne BD drug-eluting stent, which features ultra-thin polymer coating that enables sustained drug release and degrades over 6 to 9 months, leaving behind a bare metal cobalt chromium stent.
Medical device titan Boston Scientific’s (NYSE:BSX) working on its own partially resorbable Synergy stent system, which incoming CEO Michael Mahoney – currently listed as president – predicted may win CE Mark as early as this year.
