Boston Scientific to end Renuvia bioresorbable coronary stent program

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) is looking to terminate its Renuvia bioresorbable coronary stent program, according to a Minneapolis Star Tribune report. The move comes after new clinical studies of Abbott‘s (NYSE:ABT) Absorb bioresorbable stent indicated that use of the device resulted in a higher risk of serious adverse events compared to metal stents. Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific said that while the bioabsorbable plastic stents do “show promise”, the company will be focusing on different areas of development. “We’ve just decided strategically that there are bigger problems to deal with, and more socially impactful problems, like stroke, like heart failure, that need our attention. And it is better to invest in those things that will have bigger impacts than to try and overcome the technical challenges [of bioresorbable stents] in the short term,” global chief medical officer Dr. Ian Meredith told the Star Tribune. So far, Abbott is the only medical device company in the US to have won approval for a completely bioresorbable stent with its Absorb GTI BVS device. While the market for such stents was expected to reach the billions by 2021, data on heightened adverse events associated with the Absorb stent have damaged those prospects. A study released this month backed up earlier data, released in March, which showed increased rates of adverse events at 2-years with the Absorb when compared against metallic drug-eluting stents. ...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Business/Financial News Cardiovascular Research & Development Stents Abbott Boston Scientific Source Type: news