Cordis Corp., the stenting arm of Johnson & Johnson(NYSE:JNJ), announced regulatory wins in the U.S. and the E.U. for new sizes of its Sleek OTW balloon catheter, used to clear clogged arteries below the knee and prevent lower limb amputations.
The Bridgewater, N.J.-based company launched its original angioplasty catheter in 2011 and said new launches in approved countries will begin ASAP. Cordis calls its Sleek OTW platform "the broadest 0.014 over-the-wire catheter portfolio on the market."
The new catheter lengths – 20 mm and 280mm – will retain the original device’s diameter of 1.25mm. The longer 280mm length will allow docs to treat extremely distal lower leg peripheral vascular disease with fewer inflations, according to a press release.
Cordis has been making moves in peripheral artery disease treatment. The company in March bought Flexible Stenting Solutions in a move to expand its reach into PAD and into below-the-knee and venous intervention markets. Cordis didn’t reveal the purchase price or any details of its buyout of FSS, which makes the FlexStent self-expanding stent.
In April Cordis logged a major win when a federal appeals court overturned a lower court decision to award more than $593 million to stent pioneer Dr. Bruce Saffran for patent infringement.
