Abbott Labs Launches Second Leg Of Bioabsorbable-Stent Study
24 Marzo 2009 - 2:00PM
Dow Jones News
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is launching the next leg of research
on a stent heart device that is completely absorbed into blood
vessels, underscoring the company's belief that this could
eventually become leading technology in a multibillion-dollar
market.
The Abbott Park, Ill., company said Tuesday it has enrolled the
first patient in the second stage of the Absorb trial. The study of
about 80 patients at 10 centers outside the U.S. will broaden the
research for a device that has thus far been studied in just 30
patients and needs a much deeper review to prove its
capabilities.
Further study beyond this trial will be needed to target
approval for the European market, which could come in 2012 or 2013.
Approval in the U.S., if all goes well, would likely come a couple
years later. By the end of this year, 30-day data from the
just-launched study is expected.
Stents are tiny devices used to prop open clogged heart
arteries, and the most commonly used stents are coated with
medication to keep arteries from closing off again. Today's stents
are made from metal, but Abbott's device is made from polylactic
acid that is slowly metabolized by the body and is a material
commonly used in medical implants, Abbott noted.
The Abbott device is designed to fade away over time, after it's
done supporting a healing artery, rather than remaining in place
permanently.
Though it's years away from reaching the market, Abbott has
touted this device as what could be the next big technological leap
in the $4 billion coated-stent market, while noting that the
company is far ahead of any other companies in this area.
Abbott's Xience coated stent currently leads the U.S. and
European markets, where the company competes with Boston Scientific
Corp. (BSX), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Medtronic Inc. (MDT).
Abbott rivals are working on different types of next-generation
stent technology.
-By Jon Kamp, Dow Jones Newswires; 617-654-6728;
jon.kamp@dowjones.com